THE FASCINATING PERE LACHAISE CEMETERY, PARIS

The cemetery of Pere Lachaise is a place I have always wanted to see, but never had time enough to visit it on previous trips to Paris.  It is in the 20th arrondissement in eastern Paris.  We took the bus for about 50 minutes and got off at Giambetta.  It was a very pleasant ride and gave us a chance to take in the sights of Paris as we went along the way.

When I first saw this cemetery, I was awed by the thousands of trees, monuments, and the meandering cobblestone paths.  We followed along the map for the burial locations of many famous people.  Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) the well known Irish writer, poet and playwright is buried here in an art-deco style monument.  His monument is covered with pink and red lipstick kisses lovingly placed by his admirers still today.

 I have always liked Edith Piaf (1915-1963) known as France's most popular singer, sometimes called "the little sparrow." I read she had appeared on the Ed Sullivan show eight times and I myself do remember seeing her once on television.  Piaf also performed at Carnegie Hall two times in New York. Her signature song "La Vie en Rose," was recently made into a movie, and I love that song and enjoyed the movie too.  I bought a cd of Edith Piaf several years ago and find myself listening to it often.  Edith Piaf was awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1998.  There were many flower bouquets at her gravesite.

We wanted to find the grave of James (Jim) Morrison (1943-1971), our own American singer and songwriter of "The Doors."  Jim Morrison, while living in a rented apartment in Paris, was found dead in the bathtub.  His gravesite had many flowers brought by admiring fans and always draws crowds of visitors.

We came across Moliere, the famous French playwright and actor.  I had hoped to locate the site for Marcel Marceau who died in 2007, he was the French actor and mime artist. it was not indicated on the map or tour as of yet.  Marceau joined the French Resistance, and he has a very interesting personal history.    He saved numerous children from concentration camps and this is when he started miming in an attempt to keep them quiet as they were escaping.  Later, he was in the French army and then a liaison officer under General Patton's army.

We thought at first when a French gentleman approached us offering his knowledge of locations, that he would then charge a large fee for his service. I think just growing up in New York had made me so suspicious when someone offers any sort of help.  He did offer the exact location for Edith Piaf to us and then we walked away from him as if he had some horrible contagious condition.  Too bad,  because later I found out that some only charge a nominal fee, if at all.  But, there are many others who offer, completely free of charge up to two full hour tours.

Yves Montand, the Italian born French actor was discovered by Edith Piaf during the war, when she made him part of her act, and reportedly her lover as well.  He was also alleged to have had an affair with Marilyn Monroe.  His wife, Simone Signore is buried here too, and is known as one of France's most popular and beloved movie stars.


Haunting, yet terribly beautiful this resting place for famous figures such as Chopin and Colette and countless others is eerie too.  The ravens, which were numerous, oh, the ravens, how they lend their caws to the eeriness of this place.  I almost could not stop taking photographs, it was beautiful, yet inexplicable and mysterious.  It was a beautiful sunny day and I was walking around a cemetery taking pictures with a camera, with the largest amount of people I had ever seen visiting a cemetery. It was bizarre and so different from anything I had ever seen before.  I was so glad I finally got a chance to visit Pere Lachaise and I would definitely go back again.