Paris 2011 The Catacombs

Ok this was one of those excersions that was a little out of the norm. The background - The Catacombs are made out of the old Paris stone quarries and snake under the city streets. By the 17th century, the area around the cemetary of the Innocent was the major cause of infection . This cemetary had been in use for over 10 centuries and people were starting to complain. The old quarries were selected to house the bones and after a blessing, the bones began to move to their new home in 1786.
It is hard to describe what it was like to be down in these tunnels. To get to the actual catacombs, you have to walk down over 150 steps and through what feels like miles of tunnels. Eventually you come to a sign that welcomes you to the "City of the Dead". After spending two days in the Disney parks, it didn't even seem real to be surrounded by 6 million bones. It almost seemed like a movie set. It is very quiet. Just the occasional sound of footsteps and water dripping down. The thought that went into the placement of these bones is amazing. Patterns emerge around every corner. Crosses made from skulls, an entire pillar of human bones, the perfect allingment of thousands of individual leg and arm bones. It will leave you speechless. It is an interesting place to visit and we recommend it for everyone.