The Catacombs....

Underneath the beautiful Paris Streets are tunnels that house more than 6 million skeletons....yes you read correctly - SKELETONS!!!!! The way I understand it, is the skeletal remains were an accumulation from various cemeteries throughout the city that were dumped into the tunnels in the late 1700's/early 1800's in order to make more space, and improve sanitary conditions in Paris. We had not visited the catacombs before, and had read that it is actually a "favorite attraction" among children. The kids were up for it, and after a VERY long line, we descended into the depths of Paris (A.K.A catacombs). The catacombs are 60 feet beneath the ground and over a mile long. It was self guided (not a tour), and it was tremendously eery after you departed the sunshine into the underground tunnels. The entire tunnel took about an hour, and for awhile it was just tunnels... and then the reality hits....the tunnels soon turned into hallways and hallways and hallways (millions and millions) of nothing but human skeletal remains. (the bones were stacked like firewood). At first it was kind of interesting, and then became quite sobering - these people were human beings - lived just like we do, and now their skeletal remains are just piled in a tunnel. As much of a downer as it was, I tried to happily remember how important it is to live this life to the fullest while you are here on earth. The signs inside even recommend reflecting on your existence: "Happy is he who is forever faced with the hour of his death and prepares himself for the end everyday." It was definitely an experience!