Just Paris : Père Lachaise cemetery

I confess I’m a bad tourist in my own city. There are a lot of famous Parisian attractions that I’ve either never done or don’t do enough. Mostly because they mean facing crowds, but also out of shameful laziness! There is one though that I’m proud I can say that I’ve done several times and which consistently wows me (and it’s close to my apartment, let’s confess): the Père Lachaise cemetery.
If visiting a cemetery isn’t your thing, don’t fret, it’s not like visiting one (I even remember a conversation about whether or not you could jog there) yet it’s the most amazing of them!
I may sound a little bit over-enthusiastic here, but this place really blows my mind.

Where to start?

First it’s gigantic. It has streets and alleys and hills, you could literally get lost there.Then, it’s ravishingly chaotic. Sometimes Parisian architecture feels a little bit too polished for me, but here everything is opulent yet crooked. It’s also unbelievably green, with some areas invaded by moss and grass and bushes of flowers in the spring. From above it actually looks more like a park.
The craziest part is definitely the architectural marvels spread around. It features gothic, Haussmann and neo-classical styles but also Neo-Byzantine mosaic-clad  mausoleums, giant obelisks or Art Deco details. Statues abounds and don’t disappoint, you’ll even find a few famous sculptors buried here, all with beautiful figures watching over them.

The amount of surprises just seems endless!