Did you know Jim Morrison’s dad commanded the American fleet in the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin confrontation? We saw Jim Morrison’s grave today at the 110-acre Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris’ 20th arrondissement which is what led me to want to read more about Morrison on Wikipedia.
Jim Morrison’s grave
The cemetery is one of the most beautiful and fascinating sites we’ve seen in a city full of beautiful and fascinating sites.
Eiffel Tower in the distance
People rub this statue’s/man’s crotch for fertility luck.
Charlie inexplicably plays air bass at Oscar Wilde’s grave. Wilde, who died of meningitis in 1900 after two years of prison and hard labor leading to poor health, had recently been exiled and was estranged from his wife and children. An anonymous donor paid for his tomb which a friend designed. So many female mourners have kissed the tomb that there are lipstick marks on the side of it, and a barrier has been erected to prevent further damage.
Below: Petit Palais, near Pont Alexandre III where we walked last week
Below: Pont/Bridge Alexandre III
Below: Musee de l’Armee is now housed in L’Hôtel des Invalides that was built under the direction of Louis XIV as a home for sick and injured veterans. It’s a large complex of beautiful buildings with a large esplanade in front (host to a few soccer games when we were there) leading to the Alexander III Bridge and Seine River.
The famous Champs-Elysées runs between the Arc de Triomph and Place de la Concorde (where a lot of people had their heads chopped off during the French Revolution). The street is known for its fashion houses, but it’s Disneyfied now. (Literally – there’s a Disney store there.) The couture designers are on a nearby street – Avenue Montaigne.
While I stayed at the apartment a few days ago to figure out what trains to take for our three-week Central and Eastern European train trip, the kids walked to Place de la Concorde and Jardin des Tuileries where Charlie rode the carousel.
Travels with Charlie and Laurel 