Paris Catacombs 2003

If you aren't claustrophobic, necrophobic or just not phobic in general, I highly recommend the Parisian Catacombs. Nothing is more outre like being trapped far under the city with millions of bones and skulls of "whatever-century dead people from plague-war-disease-poverty and they have no where to put you".

This place is literally chock full of bones, skulls and death. It. Was. Awesome.

There were plenty of "chapels" and creative designs throughout. 

Just some FAQs: it was not stinky, it was not damp, it wasn't spooky or creepy and the bones are not cemented down (as we found out by picking up one--however there is little temptation to take one while you are there...it just feels WRONG). It's deafeningly quiet. I kept whispering as if I would what--wake the dead? The lighting is poor so keep this in mind for photos and sneaking up on folks.

The weirdest part of the whole thing was running into other tourists. It seemed unnatural to see living flesh after an hour or so of wandering through the dead.

BTW once you get down there and panic, there is NO escape route. You commit to the whole journey (just not the sort of commitment the residents are held too. :)

Much of the place is floor to ceiling and as far back as the paltry light will allow your eyes to see, packed with bones and skulls. And the ceiling is only about 6 feet high in most places. It's tight. It's packed.

If only they piped in Swedish Death Metal to complete the mood...

Maysville & Jefferson, GA 2007

On my way to visit my mother's school I passed by the Oconee Baptist Church on the Maysville road and snapped a few shots.

Again had I been taking these shots after the Weeping Angels had aired on Doctor Who, I wouldn't have gotten so close. 

Below are photos from a family plot that were taken near Thyatira Church Road in Jefferson, GA. The plot is right across from several houses just off a dirt road. I imagine the kids that live there might have been a little creeped out by it---or maybe that's just me.

ATM Belize 2010

I insisted on this trip to undo the trauma I sustained in 1983 when I forced my mother to stand in line for hours at the World's Fair so we could see the mummified Peruvian girl. I had nightmares forever that she was coming after me in my sleep (the mummy not my mother).

So, on our last full day in Belize we decided to cave it. A much recommended activity when you visit the Belizean rain forest. Also a very wet experience (Gus' socks are still wet). 2 miles or so of swimming, sloshing, foot slipping, rock scrambling, shin cracking, melon whacking, toe stubbing and oh yeah---to the point...an ancient mummified Mayan girl at the end.

 Yes those are bones. Yes that is a skull. Yes we were close enough to touch them. And, no we did not touch them.

(R) The mouth of the cave. You start by swimming through it (oh only after and hour ride in a van and then hike for an hour through the forest and cross a pretty perky river a few times to get to said cave). TOTALLY worth it.

San Pedro, Belize 2009

Mom and I stayed on Ambergris Caye for a week. We kept walking past a very tall concrete retaining wall on our way down the beach every day. On the last day I decided to see what was on the other side of that wall. **Poof**a cemetery.


It was very small and crowded and clearly on a very expensive plot of land sandwiched between two resorts. The ground is mostly sand and the tombs very elaborated decorated with enormous amounts of tropical plants and bright silk flowers. Although small it was quite elaborate. Since we were there right after Christmas it was apparent from the burned out candles and flowers that the tombs had seen a lot of visitors.


If you look through the small square windows in the concrete wall you can see the ocean in some of the shots.

Prague Jewish Quarter 2005

Prague was one of the more touching experiences I've had in Europe. You can feel this city. It has a lot of harsh history and you can't escape feeling it. My last morning there I headed for the Jewish Quarter.

It had snowed the whole time we were there which made the experience more beautiful yet harder to get photos and get around the city.














The Jewish cemetery just happened to be closed that day but I managed to get a few pictures by standing on a ledge and holding up my camera through a window in the gate.

The shots that emerged were even more special than being inside the walls.

 (R) The gate, window and ledge. It was taller than it looks.

There was barely a discernible distance between the headstones which showed not only the gravity of the lack of space in this part of the city, but also seemed to represent the closeness of the Jewish people there.

Often relegated to ghettos and cultural isolation, even in death they seemed to cling to each other.















When I left I decided to jay walk across a very wide and busy (and snow-slippery) street instead of walk the 100 yards to the crosswalk. When I started out I noticed this little old lady trying to cross in my direction on the other side.

Sensing immediate peril for her fragile stature and thinking what I would want someone to do for my Great Aunt Eenie, I ran across and literally stopped traffic to help her across. She was very thankful...or so it seemed. She only spoke Czech but nodded and smiled a lot.

I was pretty proud of myself.

Key West, FL 2008

This was taken before Doctor Who introduced us to the Weeping Angels which scare the beejesus out of me.