Wednesday, June 11 - Part 2 - Pere Lachaise Cemetery

I love this place.  I like that so many famous people are buried here.  But I also like that the memorials are so fascinating.  Anyone who's anyone is buried here and in the past I've seen Proust, Moliere, Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein, Yves Montand & Simone Signoret (always wondered if she's eternally pissed being buried with him because I understand he cheated so much) and of course Jim Morrison (who really has one of the more simple graves, actually). 

I didn't have as much time to visit this time around, so I just wandered and took photos of interesting places of rest and only sought out a few of the famous.  I was all prepared to plant my kiss on Oscar Wilde's tombstone, as is the tradition, but alas, in the past 8 years since I've visited, things have changed and I ran into this:

The lower two-thirds of Oscar's tombstone is encased in acrylic.  The tombstone itself has been cleansed of 95% of the old lipstick marks, although some apparently were applied with permanent lip stain.  The family, I guess, got fed up with the markings and cleaned them off and got tired of paying for it.  Why they just didn't go with the flow, I'm not sure.  Some Googling is in store on that one when I get home.  At any rate, even though I was prepared with not one, but TWO very expensive lipsticks purchased in the very high-end Galleries Lafayette & Printemps, I was forced to do this:

I left nary a mark.  Insert heavy sigh here for the missed opportunity 8 years ago ---->  X

But once again, I did stumble across my favorite crypt:

I always thought he was holding a bust of himself as a younger man.  Turns out, he's holding a bust of his wife!

The inscription at the base of the crypt reads "Ils furent émerveillés du beau voyage Qui les mena jusqu’au bout de la vie" which means "They were amazed at the beautiful journey / Which led to the end of life" .  I googled the inscription to find out more and got this url: 

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10341817

So now I at least know his name is Fernand Arbelot.  Still a very cool grave and I LOVE the inscription.  I found a few other graves I know nothing about, but are very fascinating to me:

Jim Morrison's grave is very non-descript.  But very close to it is this tree where people stick their gum.  Perhaps the Oscar Wilde people can take a hint? 

Love love love this painter sitting atop his crypt and looking out.

Not sure why I like this, but it's creepiness is fascinating


No comment on these last two.  They speak for themselves about their uniqueness