Happy Halloween. Posh Parisian Cemetery


October. Halloween month. Oh my God, how I love Halloween. I got a little Halloween depressed today because Paris isn’t exactly Halloween friendly. But then I thought, “Wait! Paris is the ultimate Halloween.” Spooky, mysterious, dark, and full of spirits and souls. It’s like Halloween Town! And guess what? Paris has the most extraordinary cemetery in the whole world. Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. Guess where I will be this weekend? Yes, you guessed it, I will be dragging my husband and my caregiver out to the 20th arrondissement to take a stroll through the final resting place of some of the world’s most notorious philosophers, writers, singers, composers, poets, actors, painters, designers, dancers and statesmen. I’m not sure if my Muslim caregiver will oblige me in this excursion though. She gets a little weird about those things. My other Muslim caregiver, Fode, was superstitious as well. After I cut all of my hair off, I mentioned to him that I was going to donate it to Locks of Love, but he told me I shouldn’t because he considered that “sorcery.”

I don’t get weirded out at cemeteries. I think they’re peaceful. On the weekends, when Gracie was young, I taught her how to ride her bike in the Santa Barbara Cemetery. It was so quiet and had a beautiful oceanview. Père Lachaise is a bit different. I have to say, it’s a bit spooky but in a good way. There are 1 million people interred there and the sense of “you’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy” is almost tangible. Ripe with history, scandals, love affairs, sadness, despair, and respect, this is a quiet place to reflect. And by reflect I mean, “Do you think I could get a plot next to Edith Piaf?” I did a little investigating and I discovered that you can, in fact, be buried here if you are French or pass away in Paris which I plan on doing because I think it has a nice ring to it… “Eleanor passed away in Paris.” Sounds much better than… “Eleanor passed away in Orange County.” You will need to pony up approximately €11,000 to be buried here but don’t hold your breath because there is a looooooong waiting list. But it’s worth the wait like any good real estate, restaurant or Manhattan preschool. I’m going to get on that list “tout de suite” because I don’t know about you, but I plan on hobnobbing in the afterlife with the likes of Molière, Oscar Wilde, Colette, Jim Morrison, Honoré de Balzac, Rudolf Nureyev, Chopin, Sarah Bernhardt, Maria Callas, Héloïse d'Argenteuil and Peter Abélard, Eugene Delacroix, Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, and Countess Marie Walewska (Napoleon’s mistress)...all of whom are buried at Père Lachaise.

Take a look…

















For a little history of the Père Lachaise cemetery, go HERE.

There is a charming little book titled, Meet Me at Père Lachaise, that you can purchase HERE. “If you visit the Eiffel Tower, you feel the Romance of Paris - when you visit Père Lachaise, you touch the silent soul of Paris.”


A toute!

*Something you don’t know about me? I am an ardent fan of the Long Island Medium show. In fact, I mailed a letter today requesting a “reading” with the lovely Teresa Caputo…nails, hair, accent and all. Do you now officially think I’m crazy? Don’t answer that.

18 comments:

  1. Love!! If you don't go this weekend, wait a few weeks. I'll go with!!

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  2. Alyssa/PolosandPeoniesOctober 1, 2014 at 9:22 AM

    Père Lachaise is my favorite! I wanted to spend more time there on my first trip to Paris but my traveling companion did not share my enthusiasm so it was not as long a visit as I would have liked! I also love Long Island Medium :)

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  3. Wait, who is Hwang Chun Yao??? (Picture two, upper right.) Not even passed away yet! How do you jump the line at Pere Lachaise???

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    1. Hwang Chun Yao is one lucky duck! It would be interesting to know how he got that spot. I'll do a little investigating. I have no shame, obviously. XOXO

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  4. It seems that one can have one's ashes spread in on particular area of the cemetery--immediately, no waiting list. I saw the area, with some ashes, and it was beautiful...

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  5. They all sound like good company for eternity. Have you been to the cemeteries in New Orleans?

    I, too, love Halloween! I think I'll dig out my Halloween box from the garage this weekend...

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    1. Dear JW, I have not been to the cemetery in New Orleans but I bet it is beautiful. I went to the cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. Loved it.

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    2. Shared above-ground family 'tombs' due to the water level in New Orleans. I have a friend who inherited two of them. I have also been to the cemetery in Savannah. Loved it, too.

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  6. OH< ELLIE.........I too adore cemetery's!My GREAT GREAT GREAT (I think 4 GREAT's)Grandfather is buried in SAVANNAH,Georgia.My husband has been telling me for years now to find THE SPOT.Problem is I do not like any of the cemetery's around us.Yes, YOU belong with the other famous people..........you will add a splash of class.If I was you I would see if I could get in close to NUREYEV.GAY,gorgeous body and he had STYLE!XOXO

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  7. I love Pere lachaise and I love Halloween, thank you once again for a wonderful morning read!

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  8. I love cemeteries as well and often walk my dog in our "local";) Let us know if Teresa does a reading for you, I watch her show…usually, if I am ironing. There! that's a couple more things you know about me too:) Bon journee!

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  9. I want Elvira to weigh in on this..

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  10. Simply lovely, thank you for sharing.

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  11. I'm not Elvira......I am kinda the opposite of Elvira....Penelope!!??!!

    But I believe in spirits! Ghosts.....all of it!

    Ellie...you are absolutely right about all of this!! Spirits are with us all of them time!

    Halloween is my favorite holiday.....do you remember my witch sprawled across my car? (looked like I ran her over.....I copied completely Sally Jordan!!!)

    Happy Halloween! How too bad they don't celebrate it in Paris!

    Oh well!

    XXOO

    Penny

    ps Ella sends her love!!!

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  12. Why is there such a loooong waiting list to get into Pere Lachaise!?
    Oh right! Everyone's just dying to get in :) Sorry, I couldn't resist the childhood joke.
    The monuments and statuary are soooo theatrical, like the creative geniuses buried there. I hope you get some perfect Parisian weather for your visit - A grey, overcast and slightly windy day :) * something about me? I've visited spiritual Medium's since childhood and have had numerous readings throughout my life. I hope Teresa replies to your letter...Ina Garten isn't the ONLY cool person living on Long Island XO XO

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  13. Thank you for stopping by "chez moi" yesterday and for your kind words, they were much appreciated...
    Ok, something you don't know about me?
    I actually was a Goth (I can hear you laughing Ellie!) as a young adult in the late 80s/early 90s to such a point that people moved away from me in the subway...in NYC! I wasn't inspired by anything witchy but rather the side of that movement that was deeply romantic...and everything about these images of Pere Lachaise still do that for me even though I am entirely "normal" (cough cough) in appearance these days. Anywho, there are two posts of mine on an abandoned cemetary that I visited near Chablis that you might enjoy:
    http://lostinarles.blogspot.fr/2013/11/the-abandoned-cemetery.html
    and
    http://lostinarles.blogspot.fr/2013/11/the-abandoned-cemetery-eternal-regrets.html
    Wishing you the most lovely of Sunday's, dear Ellie,
    Heather

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