On our 4th day in Paris, we saw the event I was waiting for–beach volleyball with the Eiffel Tower in the background! Not surprising to me, these tickets were more expensive and harder to come by than those for other sports.
The day we went were pool 3rd place teams playing for the chance to play another match as the “lucky loser”. Or what we call Best of the Rest. Nevertheless, we saw some great volleyball. I mean, most of them are still professionals!
No suprise, volleyball is my favorite sport to shoot photos for. It’s easier since I know the game well. It was a challenge to get great action shots from our seats because we were behind the media. Almost EVERY TIME I was in close for a good dig, block, or attack, the darn blue umbrella came out of nowhere. Boo! I did manage a few.
We saw the catacombs that evening. In the 18th century, Paris began having major health problems related to the city’s cemeteries. The government decided to move burials to an underground site. They chose an abandoned quarry site that was outside the city at that time (it’s now well inside city limits in the 14th arrondissement). Yes: they literally (used correctly) excavated graves and moved bones. This, I did not know. I knew of the catacombs but didn’t really know what they were. I was fascinated with the extent of the catacombs and couldn’t help thinking many cemeteries there are in US cities.
It took 27 years to transfer bones from cemeteries to the ossuary underground. Before they opened the ossuary to the public, they lined corridors with neatly stacked bones, like below. Apparently behind them are just piles of more bones.
I didn’t take many photos down here because…you know: it’s just bones. Plus, it’s dark (I know, duh) but they don’t allow flash photography. However, as you walk along the path, the size of the ossuary and the number of bones here are astounding.
After the catacombs, we walked back towards the Eiffel Tower to see it at night again. We sat along the river to enjoy the view. It’s the most “selfie” photo shoot we did of the trip. 😉
Ben and Megan Travel the World 