Catacombs, Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge

Our friends Melissa and Caitlin came to visit, so we got to do some extra sightseeing around Paris. We went to the Eiffel Tower a few times and got to relax a little without having to get prepared for a weekend trip. Caitlin had to leave early Saturday, but Melissa stuck around for the weekend and knew of some cool attractions we hadn't been to yet.

One was the Catacombs, which is a huge collection of underground tunnels where the bones of thousands of people are kept. It was originally a mine for the rock that built some of the older buildings in Paris. As the city grew, land was at a premium so they started moving the bones from different cemeteries into the tunnels. Each cemetery has its own section. It became an official ossuary and the bones and skulls are stacked very neatly in designs along the tunnel walls. It's a very cool place and you get a combination of geology, history, and mining knowledge. And bones. Lots and lots of bones.

Way up on the hill in the northern part of Paris is La Basilique du Sacre Coeur. It's a beautiful church and takes a ton of steps to get to. It took almost 40 years to build and is one of the most impressive churches I've seen. There's an amazing view overlooking Montmartre below and the rest of the city beyond.

Then going down the hill you transition from the Montmartre section to Pigalle, where many famous artists used to live, such as Picasso and Van Gogh. The main boulevard has a number of adult shops and theaters, and it's here that you'll find the legendary Moulin Rouge. It's a bit less impressive than the movies make it out to be:

There's so much to see and do in Paris that it was nice to have another weekend to spend here.

More pictures in the gallery.