Since Michael and Natalie spent all of Friday hoofing it through a massive scenic tour of Paris, we decided to go off the beaten path on Saturday to check out the subterranean Parisian catacombs. What exactly can you find in the catacombs, you ask? Well, it's an underground ossuary that is the final resting place for the bones of over 6 million Parisians. It's a giant tomb. A bit macabre for a Saturday afternoon in April, huh? The underground tunnels were originally created when limestone was extracted from what was then the outskirts of Paris (now much of the left bank) to build the city back in the day. In the 18th and 19th centuries, city officials dug up an incredible number of skeletons from the over-flowing cemeteries and added them at night to the underground quarries. The catacombs have been a tourist attraction ever since. When we visited on Saturday, we waited in a 2-hour line just to get in, so if you're planning a visit, plan to wait in a long queue or get there quite a bit before doors open. A few more pictures from our underground adventure... Catacombs
1, avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy (14th Arrondissement) Hours: 10am to 8pm, except Mondays and 1st May
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AuthorBecause why not get married and move to Paris to really kick off your thirties? Archives
December 2016
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