Picnic in Père-Lachaise

Set high up on a hill in the 20th Arrondissment of Paris is the Père-Lachaise Cemetery. This cemetery is one of the most visited in the world, and is the largest one in Paris. What makes this the most visited in the world? Because it has some famous residents. These residents include:

Oscar Wilde
The Irish novelist and playwright, whose famous works include "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" lies in an Art Deco tomb. It's tradition to kiss the statue with lipstick, although I find it awful and disrespectful.





Edith Piaf
France's own songbird "Sparrow" lies here. Her famous tunes include "La Vie En Rose", "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" (that song they use as the kick in Inception), and "Hymne a L'Amour". Her life is chronicled in the movie "La Vie En Rose" and is a great movie if you get a chance to check it out.





Jim Morrison
Lead singer of The Doors, he was almost not allowed to be buried here. His people plead and said that he was a poet and writer as well as a singer, so he was given the okay. His grave has been vandalized in many ways throughout the years, by people stealing parts of the grave marker, the statue that once topped the headstone, etc.

Other famous residents include:

• Gertrude Stein, American author
• Balzac, French novelist
• Frédéric Chopin, Polish composer
• Sarah Bernhardt, French actress

I took a tip out of my guidebook, saying that it was also a very nice place to enjoy a picnic lunch. So I went to the nearby market and grabbed a fresh baguette, some parma ham, cherry tomatoes, a plum, and mozzarella. So here's a snap of my wonderful lunch.

If you're in Paris and ever want to visit Père-Lachaise, you have 3 options for a Metro stop.
Line 2 : Phillipe Auguste
Line 3: Pere Lachaise
(best option) Line 3 : Gambetta

If you take the Gambetta station, it allows you to enter near Oscar Wilde's grave and walk downhill to visit the remainder of the graves.