Resting in Peace...French Style...

I love taking photos of things other people don't usually pay much attention to.  Architectural details fascinate me, no matter where they are.  As strange as it may sound, I love visiting cemetaries, reading tombstones, and taking photos.

The photos of the vault doors in this post were taken at Cimetière du Père-Lachaise  in the 20th arrondisment of Paris, and cemetaries in Nice and Collioure.  Pere Lachaise is really one of the loveliest, quietest places in the city.  It's hard to believe that you are in the middle of Paris as the main sound you hear is wind rustling through the trees.  

While you're there, be sure to find Jim Morrison's grave--it'll be the only one with a guard keeping watch over visitors.  You can buy a map just outside the gates (you'll need one), because there are so many famous people buried there.  My favorites are Chopin, who is buried in a beautiful white vault, and Edith Piaf, whom you will need to look for under her family name, Gassion.  

You'll be amazed at some of the vaults in the cemetary.  They are the size of small homes.  There are graves there from the 1700s of families that have apparently completely died off and the vaults are disintegrating from neglect, but amazingly, it's still a working cemetary.  It's really impossible to see the whole of the cemetary in one day and if you do go, you need to wear sensible shoes as the sidewalks among the graves have been disturbed by tree roots from all the beautiful trees that provide the shade on a hot day.

♥

Collioure....a little bit of heaven in France....

Even before my youngest son went to live in France six years ago, I had always dreamed of going to Paris.  But, as much as I love Paris, one of my very favorite places in all of France is the little fishing village, Collioure.   With its location about 15 miles from the Spanish border, it features a mixture of both French and Catalan culture, with traditional Catalan dancing in the square and a bullring right outside the train station.

I love the slow, lazy pace and the amazing beauty. You can do as little or as much as you like, including climbing to the top of the hill above Collioure, or if you're like me, you can take a little "tourist train" up and save your walking for visits to the gelato stand!

My husband and I stayed in a little self-catering house which was originally two little fishermen's cottages.  The week we spent there was heavenly!  The Lemon Cottage has since been enlarged and renovated to accommodate up to five people.  The lovely owner of this property is from Tasmania and is very helpful with local French knowledge.  Collioure and the Lemon Cottage are definites on our list of places to re-visit in the next couple of years.

By the way, be sure to leave loads of room in your suitcase for espradrilles!  There are a couple of shops that sell a whole colorful rainbow of these comfortable casual shoes at very affordable prices.   My suitcase was bulging at the seams when we left.....

 ♥