Dec. 1, 2024
We started our day at the Eiffel Tower:
From there, we made our way along the Seine past the Musée d’Orsay (a train station turned impressionist / post-impressionist museum):
And, the Louvre:
On our way to the Paris Catacombs:
The Paris Catacombs are part of a much larger network of limestone mines located under the city. The mines operated for centuries before a major sinkhole in 1774 opened up to devour houses, carts and people. This (and several others) lead to creation of Inspection générale des carrières (IGC) (a special group of architects responsible for the inspection, maintenance and repair of the mines).
In 1785, the city’s retired mines were the solution to another problem – over crowded public graveyards, which were gassing out residents.
The bones of over six million Parisians are now in the catacombs:
The bulk of the bones were moved to the catacombs from various city graveyards, which allowed the bones to be thoughtfully placed and organized. Some bones were used to line walls, whereas others created archways and pillars. Regardless of where the bones were placed, many took on a decorative feel:
After the catacombs, we were ready to get above ground and off our feet. After all, there’s always tomorrow…
All our love,
Tara (and Steve)
Tara’s Adventures 