Tag: France
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Staring Into The Face of Death
It’s not on display any more, but one of my favourite objects in The British Museum is Napoleon’s death mask. Death masks were often used in an era before photography was widespread and captured likenesses which were used in sculpting busts of the decased post mortem. John Constable’s is on display at the Royal Academy…
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Six Olympians From the Past
Despite the setbacks of happening in the middle of a global pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics of 2021 has already seen an impressive haul of medals for Team GB: as of current time of writing we have thirteen golds, sixteen silvers and thirteen bronze medals, placing as sixth overall out of two hundred and six nations.…
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The Top 6 Graves of Père-Lachaise
Here we go. Such has been my apprehension in attempting to write an entry about the most famous cemetery in the world that it’s taken me nearly a year to finally put my visit into words. How – how, dear reader – can you do justice to this place in one post? How can I convey…
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My Top 9 Instagram Posts 2018
Take a look at my most-liked photos on #Instagram – fairytale mausoleums, Roman Dead and 19th century visionaries!
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Normandy in Colour – A Photo Post
by Christina Cemeteries can be quite bleak, somber places. Understandable, given what they are and what they symbolise. When I think about war cemeteries, this is the sort of thing I imagine – somewhere quiet and bleak and sombre. Recently I went to Normandy with Dan and we visited Bayeux War Cemetery and the…
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Cimetière du Père Lachaise Part Deux
by Christina A few weeks ago, I reminisced here about a trip to Père Lachaise Cemetery I made in early 2011, to visit Jim Morrison. This was before Sheldon and I founded Cemetery Club and my interest in cemeteries had not yet been ignited by Sheldon’s wonderful and inspiring love of this section of world…
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Cimetière du Père Lachaise Part 1
by Christina In a couple of weeks I’m going to Paris. I’ve been there in every season except springtime, which according to poetry and literature throughout the ages, is the ultimate time to go. (‘When spring comes to Paris the humblest mortal alive must feel that he dwells in paradise‘ – Henry Miller, Tropic of…
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‘The Charge of the Light Brigade Fades to Nothing…’
It was a warm summers day near Richebourg l’Avoué. That was the only redeeming feature of Tuesday 22nd June 1915. The rolling countryside and greenery that usually typified Northern France had been forcibly replaced with sandbags, muddy trenches and battle-scarred fields. Barbed wire stuck out of the ground in angry defiance: no rational man would…
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Looking for the Mystery Saint of Montcuit
by Christina It’s Friday night and I’m home doing Internet research. It is infuriating because I can’t find what I’m looking for, and in this day and age, when does that ever happen anymore? Seriously – when was the last time you typed a search into Google and you just didn’t find a single thing?…
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A Lesson In Simplicity
Owing to a looming deadline for Sheldon’s tour-guiding studies, today’s entry is written by Ian Brentnall. Ian is a Choirmaster and Organist who has over thirty years experience of working with choirs and choral societies. He very kindly offered to write an entry detailing a recent visit he made to France where the legacy of…
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