From Pere Lachaise Cemetary to the Museum d’Orsay

Great Way to Start the Day

Another sunny, warm day. We are still having time change issues. We didn’t get to sleep until 2am this morning and have to drag ourselves from bed.

Generally in Europe, living quarters are much smaller. The shower here is very small, I need to open the door in order to bend and pick my hair conditioner off the shower stall floor.

Our first stop is a cafe for coffee (my sister) and a pan au chocolat (me).

We now have a firm grasp of the transit system. I am so envious of this system, it is what Toronto needs. We are soon at Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

I had emailed to book a tour of the Pere Lachaise Cemetery but no one got back to me so instead Cheryl and I follow a map that is handed out at the Cemetery entrance. The map lists the famous inhabitants of the cemetery along with their locations. How difficult can it be?

Jim Morrison’s Grave

Difficult. The cemetery is huge and it gets confusing, even with a map. We keep running into people searching for Jim Morrison’s grave.
I get a brain wave and google map it and it actually works!

Jim Morrison’s grave is heavily visited. It is the only one I see with a small security fence. It is because people try to take things from the grave site. Morrison used to like chewing gum. Visitors/fans know this and the trunk of a nearby Tree is covered in chewed gum.

There is a Greek saying on his tombstone that translated means “true to his own spirit” or “true to his own demon”.

Other Cemetery Inhabitants

As with yesterday’s Cemetery, this one is also inhabited by crows…lots and lots of crows.

We don’t find all the graves we want to but we do find Balzac, Chopin, Jaques Louis David, Heloise and Abelard, Moliere, Camille Pissarro, George’s Seurat. We search and search for Isadora Duncan and Maria Callas but to no avail.

I wish we had joined a tour. Next time.

Lunch and Metro Sighting

We stop for lunch at a cafe before heading back to our apartment for a brief rest. On our way we pick up some delicious goodies from the patisserie on the corner. The baguettes are beautiful.

We grab the Metro to the Museum d’Orsay. In the station I see a guy that reminds me of Luke from Emily in Paris.

Night at Museum d’Orsay

The Museum d’Orsay is open late on Thursday nights. No matter when you visit the museum, it is a good idea to buy your time-slotted tickets on-line, in advance. it saves us from the incredibly long line-up.

The Museum d’Orsay is in a beautiful building that used to be a train station, now it is home to the largest collection of Impressionist and post-impressionist paintings in the world. So many gorgeous masterpieces. Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat, Cezanne, Money, Manet and so many more.

The views of the Louvre and Sacre Coeur in the distance from the fifth floor a gorgeous.

What a perfect way to end the day.