Les catacombes de Paris

Salut!
So this morning my friend Anna and I visited the catacombs of Paris.  I've been meaning to go since I got here, and finally we decided this was the weekend to go.  (Apparently, a lot of other people decided this, too, because even though it was cold, rainy, and 11 on a Saturday morning, we had to wait in line outside the entrance for a full hour to get in.  But it was worth it!)  So what are these catacombs doing in Paris, anyway?  Well, originally the ground was quarried by the ancient Romans when they were building Paris, but this subterranean space didn't become a final resting place until 1786, when a cemetery near Les Halles, Paris's principal market district at the time, became incapable of containing its contents which were infecting the local residents and attracting rats.  So the city decided to make the old quarries into an ossuary, with the bones arranged by type rather than by owner.  It's an enormous space, not all open to the public.  I think the creepiest part was knowing I was about 60 feet underground in a series of long tunnels with only two ways out.  But it was a really interesting trip, and all the bones provided a good distraction from thinking about being so far underground.  Many of them were rather artfully arranged, and there was a bit of sculpture (courtesy of bored gravediggers) as well.  Visiting the catacombs was a really cool experience!

the entrance to the catacombs--very unassuming 

Anna in the tunnel leading to the ossuary part of the catacombs

a nifty sculpture 

It's hard to tell, because we weren't allowed to use a flash, but the skulls are arranged in the shape of a heart.

The exit--we made it out alive!