I dropped Courtney off at the train station this morning (she was headed back to Chicago), and then walked over to the Pere Lachaise Cemetary. It was a gorgeous day with totally blue skies for a change and I had the cemetary practically to myself. This cemetary reminds me a lot of the ones in New Orleans with the graves squeezed one right next to the other. Many of the tombs are about the size and shape of a telephone booth, but several of them have very elaborate headstones and statuary.
There are lots of famous people buried in Pere Lachaise - Gertrude Stein, Chopin, Moliere. Most of the markers I saw seemed to be erected during the 1800's, but supposedly people can still be buried in Pere Lachaise today. Jim Morrison (lead singer for the Doors) was buried there in 1971.
After a quick stop at the apartment for a snack, I walked over to the Marche aux Fleurs (flower market) on the I'lle de la Cite (the little island in the Seine between the Left and Right Banks). Most of the flowers were in pots (as opposed to cut stems). I've noticed that many of the people living in my neighborhood have started planting the flower baskets hanging off their balconies.
On Sundays, this market sells birds and all things bird-related. I didn't see any birds on Saturday, but I saw lots of bird houses and cages hanging from the ceiling.
