Catacombs of Paris - Paris France

In the 18th century the Catacombs of Paris were created as a way for people that were not able to be buried in cemeteries to have a final resting place. The catacombs house over six million remains and is a must see if you are in Paris. There are a few things that you need to know before visiting this site. The first is that it is underground, its a series of winding tunnels that are underneath the city, meaning that if you don't like tight spaces or dark places, this might not be a good idea for you. But if you think that you can handle the two then its well worth the visit. Also if you don't do well with stairs its important note that you have to go down 130 steps and up 83 steps during your visit and there are no bathrooms so make sure that you go before you visit. And its also a good idea to make sure that you pay attention to how many people they are going to admit when you enter. There is a limit as to the amount of people that are allowed in the catacombs at one time so they will hold people back from entering and you don't want your party to end up being split up. Also it gets a little chilly so make sure that you bring a jacket.

Once you go down the stairs and are in the catacombs you are in a very tight place with the remains of over six milion people. You can reach out and touch the remains, that's how close you are. But before you do remember that they are real remains. During my visit I saw people touching the walls (which are made of reamins) and I was a little mortified at the lack of respect that people had for the place. During your trip through the catacombs then its a little creepy as you are looking at bones and alters and what I can only assume are a sort of memorial. Being that they were written in French and I speak very little French it made the feeling and the experience a little creepier I think.

You will also note that there are certain areas that you are note allowed to go. If you look through the gates that close it off you might see areas that they are restoring and piles of bones that they are putting back into place. For some reason I found this interesting so it might  be worth it to try and a take a look while you are there. As I was leaving I noticed that a guard was checking every person's bag as they left and he had a small pile of bones and a skull next to him. I sat down beside him as I was waiting for the rest of my party and he told me that those were bones that people were trying to sneak out, and the areas that were closed off were places that people had damaged, as well as places that were worn due to age. So remember if you were thinking about stealing anything you won't get away with it (although I don't know why you want to).

Overall on my trip to Paris this is one of the top three places that I visited. My only regret is that I didn't have more time, and had taken more photos. I would recommend this place to anyone going to Paris and say that its a must see for anyone looking for an interesting or historic place to visit.


The Catacombs are open 10 a.m. to 17 p.m. every day except Monday, and the last admission is one hour before closing. The entrance address is 1, avenue of Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, and the phone number is 01 43 22 47 63

The Sewers of Paris - Paris France

Ok so this is something that most people have heard about but few have ever really given any thought to. Well I'll tell you a little bit about my trip to the sewers of Paris. I went on a trip to Paris with a few people and there were a few things that were already decided that we would do and some that were things we might see when we got there. Well the sewers were one of those things. Let me tell you that basically if anyone ever says that they have been to the sewers of Paris and that you should go see them, they don't like you, or they playing a very mean trick on you.

I guess the first thing that should have triggered a "this is not something you want to do" thought was when we got there, and were buying tickets the smell was awful. And of course of if you go into the sewers it's going to get worse, logic would tell you this, but for some reason that day the logical part of my brain wasn't working. It does house a museum in the sewers which I'm sure is full of great things to read and see and history that is worth learning about. But sadly I didn't see any of it. The smell was so bad that me and the entire rest of the group that I was with ran, yes ran, through the sewers just to get out. We didn't stop and read anything or take photos, nothing. Things were dripping from over us, which was very unsettling to say the least. And I ended up with something on the bottom of my jeans as did another girl that I was with and let's just say those jeans didn't make the trip home, they made a trip to the trash.

If you could avoid the things dripping and you didn't mind the smell there might be something that you want to learn or find interesting down there. But before you to decide to make the trip there, remember one thing. Remember the smell in a public bathroom and how bad that can be, and image being the sewer system where it all goes. And if the smell is really bad for you when you are buying tickets know that its only going to get worse. This is one place that I say enter at your own risk. You have been warned.

Are the French Really Rude?

Ah the city of Paris, the city of love. For some reason people look at this city and get one of a few thoughts, most people think of beauty and some people think of not wanting to go there because they think that people are rude. I had the great luck of getting to travel to Paris for two weeks a while ago. I have to admit I was nervous, as I had heard, like so many people that they don't like Americans and are rude. But I was also very excited as I couldn't want to see everything that Paris had to offer. What I didn't know was that all my fears were for nothing, once I got over there I noticed a few things that seemed to be a pattern. I knew hardly any French, I could ask a few things, "Where is the bathroom?", "Where am I?", "Do you speak English", and "please" and "thank you". This does not seem like a lot to know if you are traveling overseas, but I was with a group of people and some of them knew how to speak French so I wasn't too worried. Once I got there I was nervous and didn't want to venture out on my own, but I got more comfortable and started to do things by myself. Yes this young girl that knows no French and was in a different country for the first time was going it alone.

Here is was I discovered. As long as you are nice and have a polite additude then you have nothing to worry about. The key is remember that you need to treat them with respect and respect their customs, don't complain because many cafes close down at certain hours or if service in a restaurant isn't as fast as you are used to, they are used to sitting and relaxing more than some countries when they eat, which I found to be a nice change of pace. But the key and this one is big is even if you speak hardly any French or no French try, there were some times when I didn't bother trying and people were somewhat nice or rude. But I noticed that whenever I tried, even if I failed they might have laughed a little but they were generally nice and very helpful. And if I asked "Do you speak English" in French then they usually were happy to nod and help me with whatever I needed. For many people they don't like going to places where they live to find that someone from another country is visiting and not speaking their language, I have seen it many times in America. Remember that the French might think that way to, if you don't understand why just think of when you are standing in line and the person in from of you doesn't speak English and you get annoyed. The key is to try, and be nice about it. Doing this can really help your entire experience in Paris. Granted you will find that people are just rude, but that is true of anywhere that you go, so chalk that up to some people are jerks.

I was very nervous about my trip, but found that all the horror stories that I had heard where just things that many people said but I had yet to actually talk to anyone that had been that had a horror story about the how the people treated them. If you do know of someone that has a bad story try and think was it just a one time thing so most of the people were nice? Or perhaps did they not speak French or can they sometimes be rude without knowing it? Manners and effort can go a long way to helping any vacation no matter where you are going, just food for thought.