April 11, 2017

We began the day early after getting the best night’s sleep of the trip so far.  It is rather cold this morning (45 degrees F).   Pat and I travel very well together and are open to each other’s ideas and desires.  We have actually grown closer since we began this trip and I never thought that was possible.  Ernest Hemingway said “never go on trips with anyone you do not love.”  I agree.

We plan to travel to the Père LaChaise Cemetery today and visit many of the notables who are buried there.

Jim Morrison is at the top of our list but others we will try to locate include Molière, Sarah Barnhart,  Isadora Duncan, Marcel Marceau, Gertrude Stein, Chopin, Edith Piaf, and Oscar Wilde.  One article I read about this place stated that “Père Lachaise cemetery is probably one of the greatest collections of (dead) human talent in the world.”  It is definitely one of the most visited cemeteries in the world, and today we will pay our respects.

At breakfast, we witnessed a traffic altercation that turned into a sort of “street fight.”  It was more about being a macho French guy than being a danger to anyone.  But it was fun to watch.
This tree, at the grave of Jim Morrison, is covered with chewing gum.  We were told they are placed there by fans and each piece of gum represents a kiss for Jim.

Jim Morrison’s grave site.

Jack with Morrison.

Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein are buried in the same grave.

We were lucky to find this man, Raphael, who was our tour guide.  Because of him, we were able to locate every grave we were searching for in a very short time.  That is no small feat in Pere LaChaise.

Pat and I had a great day in Paris today.  Tomorrow morning, we’re off to the Louvre.

We ended the day watching the lights at the Eiffel Tower.

​

​