Our sixth morning started solemnly, with a visit to Père-Lachaise Cemetery.
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise is the largest cemetery in Paris, with over one million burials, including hundreds of notable figures from France and around the world. It is also known for having some of Europe's most intricate tombstones, dating back to the 19th century.
Along with seeing the gravestones of Jim Morrison, Gertrude Stein, we also paid tribute to the memorials of Chopin:
Sarah Bernhard:
And Paris' national treasure, Edith Piaf:
The most touching tributes were those of the unknown.
We marvelled at this stunning Art Nouveau tombstone.
But the most moving memorial belonged to Oscar Wilde. The massive tomb was designed by Jacob Epstein, a pioneer of modern sculpture.
In 2011, a glass barrier was installed to prevent vandalism. The protective glass is now covered in lipstick kisses.
The epitaph on the back of the tomb is a verse from his poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol:
And alien tears will fill for him
Pity's long-broken urn,
For his mourners will be outcast men,
And outcasts always mourn.
We ventured home after a very reflective morning, and then did some more exploring in the evening, including a visit to La Gaîté Lyrique. Built in a refurbished old 1862 theatre (the Théâtre de la Gaîté), La Gaîté is an amazing digital arts centre which hosts touring exhibits as well as live performances and concerts. What a magnificent space!
As it turned out, Tuesday, July 9 was the inaugural meeting of pointypo – a Paris-based group of letterers and type designers, led by Jérémie Baboukhian, Jean-Baptiste Levée, Yohanna Nguyen, Sandrine Nugue and Pauline Nuñez.
The gathering was super casual, and allowed for anyone to pop in, enjoy a beverage, meet fellow typographers, and share their work.
The whole evening was amazing, and everyone in attendance was very welcoming and encouraging. They were incredibly patient with my French, and happy that I stopped by, all the way from Canada. (Special thanks to especially Sandrine and Jean-Baptiste Levée for their kindness and warm welcome!)
If you love type, be sure to check out their website: pointypo.com.
A full day of awesomeness - time for full night's rest before 4-day museum tour begins tomorrow!
