This was a really spooky experience. There are 6 - 7 million dead peoples' bones beneath the streets of Paris. They were placed in mass graves in the 1700's, then later reburied together in the catacombs. Finally it occurred to someone around 1850 to creatively arrange the bones - something between a tourist attraction and a way to encourage people to come and pay their respects. A section of the catacombs is still open to visitors today, but there are no brochures and it is not widely mentioned, and only some 100 people are allowed in at a time. And it is downright spooky. I was walking into the catacombs next to a woman and she had a total mental breakdown; some catacomb workers had to come and calm her down and guide her back to the surface. There are miles and miles of bones. And since it's so far underground, water is seeping in - so there's constantly a "rain" from the ceiling. Imagine having a drop of cold water hit the back of your neck in this place. I didn't know quite how to react, emotionally - it's like nothing else I've ever seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment