Back after a 2 month break!

Obviously life in Paris is good and very busy as I have not managed my weekly, or even monthly post. Either that or I have nothing to report! Actually this is certainly not the case.

This week I am posting a recent essay I wrote on Paris for a class I have just finished called Words & Images. The idea is to write an article and complement it with some photos. Tell me what you think. Merci!

                        Far away from the crowds of Cemetery Pere Lachaise and the celebrated necropolis of Montmartre there lies a small sinister cemetery tucked away in the far end of the 16^th arrondisement. It is surrounded by beautiful 19^th century apartment buildings in the Haussmann style. The decorative front of these buildings look onto the street while the backs, appearing unfinished, loom over the small space which is the Cemetery d’Auteuil on rue Claude Lorrain. Some of the earliest tombs date back to the early 1800’s. There are few recognizable names, an occasional count and countess and numerous generations of families buried together in family graves. This is the perfect place to come and see where regular local Parisians came to rest.

                        The space is eerily quiet and you can actually hear birds happily chirping. There are no more than four long rows of tombs, the earliest ones belonging to exclusive members born and dying in the days when Napoleon was crowning himself emperor. There are the sad tombs such as the one with the names Jeanine and Jean. Jeanine was three years old when she passed away. Jean, her brother, was two when he died several years later. There are only simple inscriptions on their family stone to celebrate their short lives, the incomplete buildings around them almost reflecting their unfinished life stories.

                        There are no rolling woodlands here, only ten trees dispersed amongst the mausoleums and sepulchers. Some gravesites are well maintained, even elegant with recent family members being added to the family grave. Others are decrepit, doors falling off, broken windows and ancient candles inside. There is even one wooden grave with only a small pile of rocks appearing to hold it down. There must be an interesting story and history behind this marker.

                        One has to wonder how much longer this cemetery will last, sitting in the middle of pricey apartments. The graves are taking up prime real estate. But if you have ever wanted to be alone in a cemetery, this is a good one to visit. There are no Jim’s, Oscar’s or crowds here.

Ingrid Littmann-Tai

Paris, November 2010