Archives for April 2015

The Catacombs of Paris

Okay, so this post isn’t necessarily going to follow past posts. It is about a pretty famous tourist attraction in Paris, but for the first time it’s something I wouldn’t be too keen on experiencing myself. The topic was brought up with some friends of mine during the week, and despite my own personal aversion to underground and enclosed spaces, I found it too interesting not to write about. So despite the fact that this blog usually centers around things I personally want to see, I’m going to be writing about the catacombs of Paris.

Catacombs Paris

The Catacombs of Paris were originally quarries that had fallen into disuse. After the Cemetery of Innocents closed in 1785 due to overpopulation, all of it’s occupants were moved underground, along with the rest of the cemeteries surrounding the city, and always in the cover of nightfall with a procession of priests overlooking the transportation.

Since the final bones had been placed underground in 1814, the catacombs have drawn the interest of many, with their meticulous and slightly twisted structure. Many famous names of French history visited the hallways of graves, including Francis the first and Napoleon the third.

Now the Catacombs of Paris draw a slightly less royal crowd, people from all over the world come to tour the burial ground of six million Parisians. You can take an hour long tour, and if you’re not terrified of enclosed underground spaces then it can be an enjoyable, if not slightly creepy, adventure.

If you’re interested in secret tunnels and unsolved mysteries this is certainly somewhere  you could be interested in. Even as recently as 2004 unexplained events have taken place underneath the ancient city, when police found a theatre of sorts, with a fully stocked bar and food, that no one has been held accountable for. To this day the source of power for the underground theatre has also remained undetectable.

Not my cup of tea that’s for sure, but it holds so much history and secrecy perhaps it’s yours?

http://www.catacombes-de-paris.fr/english.htm

 

Sources:

http://www.historvius.com/the-catacombs-of-paris-82/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris

April 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

The Appalachian Trail

This week I decided to chose a destination a little closer to home, partly because I love the East Coast, and also because I wanted to write about something I could possibly visit in the near future, as opposed to dream destinations. So The Appalachian Trail is the focus of my writings. Of course seeing the entire trail may be slightly ambitious of anyone, considering it passes through fourteen states, beginning in Georgia and ending in Maine.

The Applachian Trail

 

This impressive distance is officially measured at 2,180 miles, and is one of the longest uninterrupted marked footpaths in the world, just to put that into perspective. Of course out of the 2 to 3 million people that visit the trail every year very few actually intend on taking on the entire trail. Most nature lovers tend to go to the nearest marked path of the trail and venture for a few miles.

The Applachian Trail 2

 

That’s not to say that it isn’t done, in 2010 it was said that somewhere around 11,000 people completed the trail, and many more actually endeavored to do it, with a success rate of about 29%. Personally I’m not sure if I’d be able to dedicate myself to the entire trail. It takes anywhere from 5 to 7 months to complete on average, and while time management has never been a strong skill of mine, I doubt even at my most driven I would find the dedication to complete it. But I have every intention of exploring the parts of the trail that pass through Pennsylvania. Luckily they reside close to my hometown, so I plan on dragging my friends and family out with me this summer, no matter the protest they put up.

The Applachian Teail 3

Perhaps when I’m older and richer and have a considerable amount of time on my hands I’ll actually try to take on the entire trail, but I think I’ll stick to small hikes for the time being.

Sources:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/find-a-hike

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Trail

April 9, 2015 Leave a Comment
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