Day 6: Day of Dead and Music

Posted on July 6, 2011 by mreece85

The day began with the dead.  We decided to start off at Pere Lachaise cemetery.  I love how the tombs are above ground.  I saw so many unique cherubs and other interesting figures.  While at the cemetery we saw Oscar Wilde, Moliere, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Gertrude Stein, and Percy who deciphered the hieroglyphics from the Rosetta Stone.  Oscar’s was probably the most grand.  There were many kisses and writings.  After seeing how many adore him, I think I should check out some of his writings.  I guess he died of an ear infection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL72hTquIpA
Moliere’s story was interesting.  Apparently many thought he was a hypochondriac and he faked a cough which led to an actual cough.  I guess his death was similar to that of Nicole Kidman’s character in Moulin Rouge.
After the cemetery, we went to a café in the neighborhood.  We were supposed to pick up food from Rue Cler and have a picnic on the Champs de Mars, but we were so hungry we decided to eat.  I ordered Tartare de Beouf.  I thought it would be seasoned and in some sort of acid like lemon juice, but it was not.  It came with some items on the side like onions, parsley, capers, and relish.  It also had a raw egg cracked over the top.  I put some worcestershire sauce on it, but only ate about a ¼ of the meat.  The frites were delicious though.  When I went to the bathroom I saw a roach on the floor, so I got a little nervous about the cleanliness.  Our garcon was extremely nice and offered to cook the meat for me.  He probably thought I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.  How can so many say the French are rude when they are so accommodating?
From there we got back on the metro and headed towards the Petite Palais.  There was a photography exhibition with a photograph that I really liked.  It was a woman on top of a mountain topless, with her back faced towards the camera and her arms reaching high in the air.  It looked very liberating.

After the Petite Palais, we went to Champs de Mars.  The merchants were being chased by a police officer on a bike.  You could hear them coming because of their jangling Eiffel Towers.  We then got on the batobus.  We got off at Jardin de Plantes to see Canal St. Martin.  I think I saw where Amelie skipped stones, but we did not see where she dropped the fish in the water.
We then took the metro back home to have leftovers for dinner.  After dinner we went back out and rode the batobus.  It was a beautiful evening and so many people were out because it was the night of the international fete de la musique.  There were many friends and couples sitting out on the quai.  The Parisians were enjoying their beautiful city filled with music, warmth, and the smell of wine.  We got off at Notre Dame and stopped to listen to some music.  The singer was a funky dancer.  Linda was ready to go home, so we dropped her off and returned to enjoy the music of the night.  We saw quite a variety of acts.  The city was definitely alive.