The Empire of Death in Paris

Arrête! C'est ici l'empire de la mort.
(Stop! Here is the empire of death.)

So begins the dramatic journey into the Catacombs of Paris, famous for containing the skulls and bones of some six million people, romanticising death as art. While some may be creeped out by the idea of walking into what is pretty much someone else's graveyard, it is clear that there are many who are fascinated by the idea - the queue to get into the Catacombs can be as long as three hours, for those who are eager to have a taste of romantic death.

The Catacombs were originally built to house the remains of Paris citizens, a solution to the problem of overcrowded cemeteries. The people whose bones once lay in the cemeteries of Les Innocents found themselves being carted by night to the Tombe-Issoire, where the bones were there arranged in the fashion of some sort of museum.

Being underground, the temperature in the Catacombs remains at a cool 14 degrees Celcius all year round. That certainly doesn't do very much for the eerie atmosphere that comes with being in a tunnel with the remains of 6 million people!

Entrance to the Catacombs is by guided audio tour only, and a limited number of people are allowed into the tunnels at any one time. While this can lead to a very long waiting line to get in (remember to bring a good book while you're waiting in line!), this gives you plenty of time to have a look around and take in the vastness of the Catacombs.

Don't take too long looking around though, you don't want to wind up becoming Catacomb inhabitant six-million-and-one.

It is quite fascinating being able to observe the remains of people who were once alive - who were these people and how did they end up here? - and process the fact that these are the skulls and bones of real people. Some parts of the Catacombs are today graffitied, which is a shame considering that this is the final resting place of these 6 million people, but for the most part the gothic, romantic beauty of the Catacombs have been beautifully preserved since the 18th century.

It is said that this is one of the most haunted places on earth, so if you're adventurous enough to visit, don't be too surprised if you spot an unworldly spectre while you're underground.

For those who are fascinated by the dark and awed by the eerie, the Paris Catacombs are a must-visit.

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Discovering Versailles

Let's first get the obvious out of the way: Versailles is the epitome of opulence. It's the very definition of opulent. It's a place where gold-plating is used on the ceilings, where there isn't a single unadorned corner, where chandeliers hang everywhere... It's no wonder that Versailles has been used as the architectural inspiration for endless other palaces and important buildings of state.

No wonder, also, that it's one of the most visited sights in France and Europe. I mean, look at these crowds!

It took me two hours just to get through the entrance gates - thank goodness for my Kindle and a good pair of walking shoes. Amazingly, despite the endless masses of tourists threatening to cheapen the splendour of the palace, it seemed that Versailles had lost none of its regal charm - from the perfectly pristine palace to the micro-managed gardens, with perfectly sculpted trees and pathways as far as the eye can see.

It's no secret that the French and the English have a sibling rivalry-type relationship. Which is why when my tour guide explained to us the difference between French and English gardens, many laughs were had.

"A French garden is like zees." (Imagine the French accent.) "Eet has many straight lines and every-zeeng is parallel and ze two halves always face each other."

"Ze English gardens are messy and all over ze place."

The Gardens, I thought, were actually far more exciting than the palace. While the Palace was beautiful in its own way, there's nothing quite like getting lost in the mazes of tree-high hedges, wandering around and basking in the French sun, and then stumbling upon a water-fountain with (get this) gold dragons erupting from the surface.

Something that I certainly didn't expect to see: people rowing down a man-made river in the Versailles gardens! It seemed to me something almost too normal for a place of as immense importance as this - yet, surely this must have been something not too different from the types of activities that those who lived here must have engaged in.

It seems, in some ways, that Versailles a perfect metaphor for all of Paris, and of France. Old-world charm and the remnants of a time long gone, once cloaked in splendour, staunchly resolute in its refusal to be cheapened by tourists. A place that is beautiful, proud, and timeless.

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