Catacombs & the Louvre

Today was our scheduled day: shortly before 11AM we stuffed our faces with breakfast, rushed over the street to the catacombs just to wait in line (even though there was a time-stamp on our tickets?).

We descended, what, 131 steps = 20meters and passed the sewer-systems....

... to the catacombs of Paris.

Apparently, they were originally created because Paris was sinking due to a lot of new buildings and a growing population. The chambers underneath (created by time, dirt and other elements) were collapsing. So, why not just get rid of the dead down there?

They started moving bones before they buried human remains directly a few decades later. Now, the sign reads:

"Stop. Here lies the empire of death."

Very ominous, creepy and macabre. I felt a chill run through me when I caught the first glimpse of real, human remains.. stacked upon bones upon bones, neatly rowed next to each other.

After exiting a very dark and interesting place, we speed-walked through the rain to an entirely stuffed Louvre. I'm not much the art lover, since I simply don't understand it, but I did want to see the famous Mona Lisa.
Everything we saw before we got there was way more interesting. Old Greek stone plates telling the tales about Aphrodite and Olive Branches was way more fascinating to me, an avid history lover.

The hype surrounding a woman painted by (yes, okay, he as a person does interest me) Leonardo Da Vinci, was... well... over-hyped in my opinion? I mean... the painting wasn't even as big as I imagined.
The crowd on the other hand...

A fine dinner later and we ended our late last evening in Paris watching an episode of a crime show.Leggi altro