Love week: Unlikely date place

One of my favorite places I visited in Paris, France was the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. The cemetery is located on Boulevard de Menilmontant and is visited by thousands every year. It is a beautiful cemetery that inspires awe in it's history and the many famous people who lie in rest there: Maria Callas, Frederic Chopin, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Marceau, Moliere, Modigliani, Edith Piaf to name a few. Outside the cemetery they even give you a map that you can use to locate the tombstones of the famous.

(photo by Alexandre Buisse)

The oddest thing is that the cemetery is becoming the place to go on a romantic date (Hottie and overall cool guy, Ryan Gosling, took his gal, Eva Mendes, on a stroll through the Pere Lachaise). The place is intriguing with it's sweeping trees, beautiful and elaborate tombstones and overall serene feeling. 

(photo by Rose Wood)

Most romantic tombstone? Oscar Wilde. You can't miss his lipstick covered tombstone that his admirers over the years have kissed (although I read that his tombstone is now encased in glass because the lipsticks are starting to damage it). 

(photo by Charmaine Yambao)

Most odd legend? Victor Noir. He was a journalist who was apparently unjustly killed by Prince Bonaparte. His tombstone depicts Noir lying down with his hat by his side, possibly a recreation of his death. The statue has a "protuberance" on the front of his trousers that legend has it if you rub this part of his statue, kiss him on the lips and place a note in his hat, you would either be granted fertility or find a husband within a year. Needless to say, the "protuberance" part is quite worn down. Is it true? well, my sister rubbed this part and later that year, she and her husband found out they were pregnant - honest Abe! (as for me, I didn't rub it and it took me another 7 years to get married and have my first child).

(photo by Pierre-Yves Beaudouin)

Most romantic story to tell your date? Abelard and Heloise. Abelard was a philosopher and Heloise his student. They fell in love, had a secret love child and then secretly married. Heloise's vengeful uncle ended up having Abelard castrated and Abelard urged Heloise to seek refuge in the nunnery. They continued to send letters to each other until their deaths. They are both buried together in the Pere Lachaise cemetery.

Now granted, it will cost you money to fly your date out to Paris, France (unless you live there) to walk through a cemetery, but come on, imagine how impressed they will be!