BJ Visits Paris!

One of the things that is great about Paris is the number of people who want to come visit us!  We are definitely going to have more visitors in Paris than we had in Michigan (hmmm...I wonder why??).  For the last three weeks, my living room has been transformed into a guest room.  Although it is a bit cramped, it is so much fun having familiar faces here! 

BJ got to come visit for a few days in March.  Since he had already done Paris before, we got to do some things that are a little off the beaten path.  Our first stop was the Catacombs.  They were closed the last time BJ was here, so we were sure to go there first!

When you enter, you head down A LOT of stairs and then proceed to walk through dimly lit and super tiny hallways.  BJ had to duck down several times to fit through some of the doorways.  We hadn't even seen any bones yet, and already it was pretty creepy.  The tunnel seemed to extend forever. 

Eventually, we emerged in a long series of more spacious hallways FILLED with bones.  There are an estimated 6 million people buried there.  It was one of the most unbelievable things I've ever seen.  Apparently, the bones were moved to these underground passageways in the 18th century as a way to deal with the overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in church cemeteries within the city.  Chanting priests would move the bones in the middle of the night, by horse-drawn wagon, to the catacombs. 

The amazing thing is that the bones, 19 meters below the streets of Paris, have been artfully arranged in a way that pleases the eye (well, sort of...but it is still pretty creepy).

When we finally emerged back into daylight, we found an Indiana Café! 

On another day, we visited the gardens of the Palais Royal.  There are a whole bunch of black and white striped pedestals, where you will see people striking different poses.  The idea is that it is always a revolving art exhibit!  

After a few wonderful days of having BJ here, it was time to say goodbye.  It is always a little sad when people leave, but I knew that my sister would be arriving soon!  Maggie arrived in Paris just a few days after BJ left.  More on the two weeks with my sister in my next post!