The Catacombs

May 10th, 2018

We have been lucky to host three of our nephews from California in the past few weeks.  The eldest, Max, visited with his girlfriend Sophia, in early April.  His two younger brothers, Lucas and Jackson, are visiting now.  We've had tremendous fun with all of them, and we've been excited to show them around and take them to some of our favorite places (as well as some interesting places that might not be among our favorites).  

On Tuesday, we visited the Catacombs, abandoned limestone mines under Paris that were re-purposed as a final resting place for displaced bones from decommissioned cemeteries.  It's a popular tourist attraction, but one that I was a little ambivalent about.  First of all, it's deep under ground, accessible by spiral staircases and somewhat narrow passages.  Second, it's, well, filled with lots of human bones.  

The history was interesting.  Bones were relocated to these underground caverns starting right before the Revolution and extending through the 19th Century when cemeteries became overcrowded or unsanitary or just needed to be moved due to construction projects.  Some bones were thrown in haphazardly and some were placed with more care, stacked neatly and forming patterns.  Plaques mark from which location groups of bones had been moved.  It is estimated that remains from two million people are now in the Catacombs.

As one might imagine, it is a somewhat creepy place and not entirely enjoyable for those with, oh, say, for instance, slight tendencies towards claustrophobia.  I was certainly excited and relieved to see the light of day after emerging from our tour.  I was glad I visited, though, and everyone else seemed to enjoy it.  

We enjoyed beers at a local brewpub afterwards.  Kate took this photo of us.