Voyage Toujours Tales – Cemeteries: London, Paris, Charleston

I am fascinated by old cemeteries. What is it that I find so pleasing and so calming about the old gravestones? Works of art – Sculptures and mausoleums built to honor those separated from us. Stroll through the grounds and find serenity. They are an oasis from the city in which they are located. You step into the gates and outside of the physical world. Don’t get me wrong, i don’t want to spend a night here, that would creep me out, but during the day, a nice, cloudy day, I am one with the spirits. Take a walk with me through Highgate and Brompton in London, Père Lachaise in Paris and graveyards in Charleston.

Highgate Cemetery, London

“Died in the 19th year of her age From the effects of Fire, her dress having accidentally ignited ten days previously.

In bloom of youth, when others fondly cling to life, I prayed, mid agonies, for death. And unappaled his awful advent hailed, the only pang my bleeding heart endured was, thus so early doomed to leave behind on earth those whom I so dearly loved.”

Brompton Cemetery, London

When in London, I enjoy staying in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, what, what!

Just south, between South Ken & Fulham, you will find the Brompton Cemetery. Each time I return to London, I enjoy finding new places to visit and explore.

“Brompton Cemetery is one of Britain’s oldest and most distinguished garden cemeteries. It combines historic monuments, trees and wildlife with the stories of the remarkable people buried here. This beautiful landscape is the only Cemetery in the country owned by the Crown and managed by The Royal Parks on behalf of the nation.”

Père Lachaise, Paris

In the 20th Arrondissement of Paris is Père Lachaise cemetery. Some people know of it because of its most famous inhabitant, Jim Morrison. However, I find his gravesite quite disappointing and do not feature it here. Other famous names you may know are Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Eugène Delacroix, Molière and Frederic Chopin; whose gravestone is one of my favorites. There are also some stirring memorials to those that died in WWII.

Cemeteries, Charleston, S.C.

Scattered around the city of Charleston, lay several cemeteries commemorating the dead. From Civil War to modern times, the dead in Charleston have a story to tell. With moss covered trees and lingering shadows, the mood is set. But, behind a few corners are bursts of color ringing in new life.