Two Days in Paris visiting Weird Places

Two Days in Paris visiting Weird Places

Back in Paris with a couple of days to kill before the horrors of Trans-Atlantic flight. We booked a room in the Hotel Central in Montparnasse. This turned out to be a friendly place in an interesting neighborhood.

On our last trip, we visited the Pere-Lachaise cemetery. Among the many famous people pushing up daisies there are: Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Rossini, Edith Piaf, Delacroix and Balzac. It is also where Jim Morrison (of The Doors) wound up.

This time, since we were right next door, we decided to have a look around Montparnasse cemetery. Although full of attractive tombs, Montparnasse is clearly second-best when it comes to "graves of the famous." We did manage to find Saint-Saens and the shared grave of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

We (well, Steve mostly) had hoped to visit the Denfert-Rochereau Ossuary, but couldn't deal with the huge line to get in. We settled for a nice photo of the nearby lion.

We spent a very interesting morning at La Defense, a new area of the city named for a monument that commemorates the defense of Paris in 1871. The district was designed as a city-in-a-city and contains shops, entertainment and housing in addition to offices. One might think that with all the beautiful old things to see in Paris, that going to a new district would be a waste of time. Not so.

Place Denfert-Rochereau near our hotel in Montparnasse

The grave of Camille Saint-Saens in the Montparnasse cemetary

The grave of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir

The grave of an unknown stylish Gentleman

The monument at La Defense

The main feature of La Defense is The Grand Arch. The center hole is large enough to hold Notre Dame! The walls are offices. The top has a museum and observation deck.

A close-up of the sailcloth awning in the center of the Arch (see previous photo).

The elevators that go to the Museum. Not for those with a fear of heights!

Each transparent elevator holds about eight people.

An attractive museum/shop and cafe fill the top floor.

An attractive visitor to the attractive museum.

All of the art is contemporary. Most of it is paintings. These bugs are made out of engine parts!

La Defense is built around a central plaza with the Arch at the far end. The other buildings and features are also worth a visit.

Looking out the other side of the Arch. There is an old cemetary beyond the artworks.

Previous Day Index

	Place Denfert-Rochereau near our hotel in Montparnasse
	The grave of Camille Saint-Saens in the Montparnasse cemetary
	The grave of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir
	The grave of an unknown stylish Gentleman
	The monument at La Defense
	The main feature of La Defense is The Grand Arch. The center hole is large enough to hold Notre Dame! The walls are offices. The top has a museum and observation deck.
	A close-up of the sailcloth awning in the center of the Arch (see previous photo).
	The elevators that go to the Museum. Not for those with a fear of heights!
	Each transparent elevator holds about eight people.
	An attractive museum/shop and cafe fill the top floor.
	An attractive visitor to the attractive museum.
	All of the art is contemporary. Most of it is paintings. These bugs are made out of engine parts!
	La Defense is built around a central plaza with the Arch at the far end. The other buildings and features are also worth a visit.
	Looking out the other side of the Arch. There is an old cemetary beyond the artworks.