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From a young age, I determined to adhere to the words of the incomparable Audrey Hepburn, who once declared, "Paris is always a good idea." Paris is always a good idea: as a vacation destination, a place of residence, and as a setting for movies and novels. In the movie Sabrina, Audrey's character writes a letter home to her father, waxing poetic about her feelings for Paris.   "I am looking at the world through rose colored glasses and it says everything I feel.  I've learned so many things, Father...I have learned how to live." Why?  Why is Paris the setting parfait for an exploration of one's character...or for a novel? Because when you are there, every breath you inhale is tinged with hope, every exhalation with gratitude. Hope for a grand histoire d'amour -  a great love affair.   Hope for one of those serendipitous moments - when the light filters through the spires of Notre Dame leaving a lacy patterned shadow on the square ...

map-generator.net Each time I finish watching a scary movie, I run around the house flipping on the lights, one by one, until I am sure there are no ghosts or bogeyman lurking in the shadowy corners.  And then I turn on happy, upbeat music, like 80s Pop .  It's a ridiculous ritual.  Childish, really.  And yet, I can't seem to break myself of it.  It's as if my soul, heavy from witnessing the darker side of human nature, craves the light. I felt the same way after my M acabre Day in Paris .  Standing over graves, touring subterranean tombs, and learning about serial killers with freaky fetishes had plunged me deep into the darkest recesses of Parisian history.  I wanted to climb up and into the light. So, Sunday morning I found myself sipping tea at a historic cafe in Montmartre, watching curbside artists create mini-masterpieces, and climbing up 225 steps to reach the top of the dome of S...

map-generator.net If individual travel days needed to be summed up using a single word, my third day in Paris would be described as Macabre . First Stop:  Cimetière du Montparnasse Statue in Montparnasse Cemetery by Christopher Levy I started my morning off with a brisk, but purposeful stroll through the Montparnasse Cemetery.  I confess, I rather enjoy visiting historic cemeteries.  I experience a macabre delight when gazing at the creepy faces of the statues guarding the mausoleums or when reading the more unusual names listed on the tombstones.  I even keep a list of names I like:  Verity Noble.  Gastone de Montague.  Desire Perineaux.  Ida Mae Butterfield.  Victoire Hope Wintingue.  This morning, however, I was on a mission that involved more than the reconaissance of unsual names. Built in the early 19th century, Montparnasse has become the eternal resting pla...