Day 2 - Luxembourg Gardens, Pere Lachaise & Opera Garnier

My main goal today was the famous Pere Lachaise cemetery but before heading to the Metro station to catch the train, I wanted to check out the nearby Jardin du Luxembourg which was an easy walk from the apartment. The morning was slightly foggy but pleasant and the garden was quiet and peaceful . . . a handful of tourists were there but it was mostly local joggers and a group of school children visiting. The Luxembourg Palace is onsite which houses the French Senate and it's a striking building. I really enjoyed the gardens, as I'm a big fan of gardens to begin with, and I can't imagine how beautiful (and busy!) it would be in the summer.

Luxembourg Palace in the Jardin du Luxembourg

I next found my way to "my" Metro station (Odeon, that being the closest one to the apartment) and purchased a carnet of Metro tickets. A carnet is simply 10 individual tickets purchased at a slight discount over the single-ticket price. Once again I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of which I could make this purchase. I knew that without a "chip and PIN" credit card (which is the norm in Europe and difficult to come by in America), I would either have to use coins in the ticket vending machine or find one of the slowly-being-phased-out manned ticket counters to use bills. However, the automatic vending machine at Odeon took Euro bills so it was a breeze. I followed Rick Steves' advice and began my visit to Pere Lachaise from the Gambetta Metro station. The weather was still foggy which made for a great atmosphere but the sun was out before my visit was over.

Pere Lachaise

I had downloaded a cemetery map prior to leaving Seattle, which is pretty much essential if you want to locate the famous graves. Even with a map, it's a challenge as the grounds are sprawling and the paths winding and intersecting. Although there weren't a lot of people there, most that I encountered appeared a little lost. Several people stopped asking me for help and I tried my best after receiving an affirmative response to "Parlez vous Anglais?"

Oscar Wilde's grave is one of the most popular at Pere Lachaise and it used to be covered in lipstick kisses. A year or so ago, they cleaned up his tomb and surrounded the lower half with plexiglass. It certainly takes the romance out of it but of course people have still found a way to leave smooch marks here and there. I found it simply astounding that once I arrived at his gravesite, I was the only one there!

I was able to locate all of the graves I wanted to see save for Moliere. As I was trying to locate Chopin, I encountered a very enthusiastic Frenchman who took me on a "shortcut" through the tombstones all the while shouting and pointing "Chopin! Chopin!" He expounded all sorts of facts about Chopin, such as while his body is buried at Pere Lachaise, his heart is buried in Warsaw, Poland. I was a little skeptical that he was going to ask for money for his help but he didn't.

Oscar Wilde's Grave

"Chopin! Chopin!"

For most Americans, the pilgrimage to Jim Morrison's grave is likely the #1 attraction of Pere Lachaise. The famous bust that used to sit atop his grave has been gone for years and now there's just an understated grave marker. But given that it is Jim Morrison, his grave is gated to protect it from graffiti and other such vandalism. Truth be told, in my opinion, it wasn't much to see.

Pere Lachaise was high on my list of places to see in Paris and it was one of my favorite memories of this trip.

As a final destination for the day, I headed to the Opera Garnier. While no longer used for operas, this was the setting for The Phantom of the Opera and the building is simply opulent. I had read that if one goes to Paris and cannot make it out to Versailles to experience the Hall of Mirrors, the Opera Garnier is a close second. Versailles is spectacular but this was nice as well and far less crowded.

Opera Garnier

Opera Garnier

As I left the Opera and was taking some photos of the exterior building, someone tried the "Gold Ring" scam on me. There are several well-known tourist scams in Paris and this is one where someone will drop a gold ring on the ground, pick it up and ask if it's yours. When you say "No" the person will insist that you take it because it "doesn't fit" them (or something similar) and it is valuable. Of course, they will then try to get you to pay them money for it, although in truth, it has no value. The guy who tried this on me really didn't try very hard. Just a firm "No" from me was all it took for him to walk away.