Cemeteries and Tombs

 

I usually get weird looks when I tell people I love cemeteries. Most people think that my fascination with cemeteries is a little creepy. A day out on the town often involves some visit to a cemetery, large or small.

Or sometimes hilarious. This is probably one of my favorite tombstones of all time. Highgate Cemetery, London.

Cemeteries are full of history, the older the better. When exploring your local cemetery, you can find the tombstones of the people that founded your town. The people streets are named after. You start to notice the changes in styles over time. Wonder why they use lambs on almost all child graves. Find those who may have died during great epidemics like the Spanish Flu in 1918. Or find some amazing epitaphs, which have kind of gone out of style in the last decades.

Since I love cemeteries so much, I’ve decided to share them with you. Each one of these posts contain something about a cemetery or a tomb.


Ancient Pueblos and a Giant Crater

Meteor Crater, Arizona

My last Arizona adventure ends with a visit to Homol’ovi State Park and Meteor Crater!  Continue reading

Around Great Britain in 30 Days: Day 29, Salisbury

Salisbury Cathedral. Salisbury, England

A short jaunt to Salisbury brings a well-endowed giant and an amazing cathedral.  Continue reading

Around Great Britain in 30 Days: Days 27-28, Cornwall and Devon

Castle Drogo. Devon, England

Explore some of what England’s most beautiful peninsula has to offer. Continue reading

Around Great Britain in 30 Days: Day 26, Gloucester to Tewkesbury

Kilpeck Church. England.

A crazy day in Southern England going from one medieval church to another, exploring weird tombs and an even weirder map! Continue reading

Around Great Britain in 30 Days: Day 25, Southeastern Wales

Tintern Abbey. Wales

The adventure continues through the Welsh countryside, in search of churches, ruins, castles, and a town devoted to books. Continue reading

Viaggio Italiano: Acqua Alta

Grand Canal. Venice, Italy

High water, canals and explorations of Venice, Italy. Continue reading

Viaggio Italiano: Return to Florence, Part 2

Santa Croce. Florence, Italy

Explorations of Florence continue with wonderful gardens, palaces, churches and museums, all the staples of urban tourism. Continue reading

Viaggio Italiano: Return to Rome, Part 2

Castel Sant'Angelo. Rome, Italy

Churches, churches and more churches, tag along as I explore some of my favorite sights in Rome.  Continue reading

Viaggio Italiano: Return to Rome, Part 1

Colosseum. Rome. Italy

Returning to explore more of the Eternal City with two days jam packed full of ancient ruins and other awesome sights! Continue reading

Viaggio Italiano: Return to Naples

Naples, Italy

Tag along as I return once again to the amazing city of Naples, Italy. Continue reading

Viaggio Italiano: Return to Pompeii

Forum. Pompeii, Italy.

Explore the ruins of the world’s most famous buried city! Continue reading

Viaggio Italiano: Valley of the Temples

Valley of the Temples. Agrigento, Sicily, Italy

A ridge, rather than a valley, full of wonderful ruins next to a wonderful Sicilian city. Continue reading

Viaggio Italiano: Wandering Monreale

Monreale Cathedral. Italy

Beautiful mosaics, a stunning cloister, and a majestic cathedral bring pilgrims from around the world to this hillside town outside of Palermo, Italy. Continue reading

Viaggio Italiano: Wandering Palermo, Part One

Capella Palatina. Palazzo dei Normanii. Palermo, Sicily, Italy.

Explore Palermo, Sicily’s two most amazing attractions! Continue reading

Malta: Wandering Rabat

With an Ancient Roman house and hidden catacombs, Rabat is an interesting Maltese town. Continue reading

Wandering Arles

amphitheater. Arles, France

Explorations of a picturesque Southern French town. Continue reading

Green-Wood Cemetery

Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York

Explore an amazing rural cemetery right at the heart of Brooklyn, New York. Continue reading

The Catacombs of Naples

Catacombs of San Gennaro. Naples, Italy

They are grisly, dark and awesome! Check out the Catacombs of Naples! Continue reading

Church of Kings

Tombs of Louis XII (1462-1515) and his wife, Anne de Bretagne (1477-1514). St. Denis Basilica. Paris, France

Located in the suburbs of Paris is the final resting place of the kings of France. Continue reading

Highgate Cemetery

Highgate Cemetery. London, England

Explore an old, overgrown cemetery on the north side of London, England. Continue reading

Glendalough

Glendalough, Ireland

Explore the ruins of a monastic city in the wilds of Ireland. Continue reading

Wandering Ravenna

Ravenna, Italy

Explorations of a city full of the most wonderful mosaics ever. Seriously, they are awesome. Continue reading

Wandering Nice

Nice, France

This Southern French town is really nice. Continue reading

Fort Bowie

Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Willcox, Arizona

Explore the ruins of a fort that helped conquer the West. Continue reading

Around Great Britain in 30 Days: Days 12-13, Aberdeenshire, Mostly

Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom

Explore the richness of Northern Scotland with two history-filled days in Angus and Aberdeenshire. Continue reading

Around Great Britain in 30 Days: Day 11, Stirling to St. Andrews

Doune Castle. Scotland, United Kingdom

Check out the history that surrounds Scotland’s Firth of Forth. Continue reading

Nevada Ghost Town

Cook Bank Building. Rhyolite, Nevada

One of the West’s many mining ghost towns is ready for you to explore. Continue reading

Around Great Britain in 30 Days: Day 10, Wandering Edinburgh

Old Town. Edinburgh. Scotland

Heading into Scotland with explorations of its most famous city. Continue reading

The Catacombs of Paris

Stacked bones in the catacombs of Paris, which has been a tourist attraction for over a century.

Explore Paris’ macabre side. Get ready for some bones, lots and lots of bones. Continue reading

Wandering LA

Santa Monica beach. California.

Explorations of the City of Angels and the surrounding area. Continue reading

Wandering Colonial Newport

The John Bannister House built in 1761. Newport, Rhode Island

Explore the colonial side of Newport, Rhode Island.  Continue reading

Genoa’s Staglieno Cemetery

Tomb. Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno. Genoa (Genova), Italy

Life-like statues and huge mausoleums, check out the amazing Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno.  Continue reading

Around Great Britain in 30 Days: Day 7, Yorkshire

Castle Howard. Yorkshire, England.

Celts, cathedrals and castles that aren’t really castles—Yorkshire’s a history buff wonderland. Continue reading

Wandering Pisa: More Than Just a Tower

Santa Maria Assunta, Leaning Tower. Pisa, Italy.

There is much more to this Tuscan city than its Leaning Tower.  Continue reading

Buried at the Grand Canyon

Cemetery gate. Pioneer Cemetery, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona.

Explore Grand Canyon National Park’s history in the park’s cemetery. Continue reading

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.

Check out Paris’ largest cemetery, the most visited cemetery in the world. Continue reading

Tombstone

Tombstone, Arizona.

Check out the town that was too tough to die, although it almost did. Continue reading

10 Must See American Cemeteries

Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

Dark. Musty. Tranquil. Creepy. The pageantry of the afterlife etched out in granite, marble, you name it. Cemeteries are a little divisive as a destination but are also truly destinations to be seen. Continue reading

Wandering the Tiny Nation of Monaco

The Rock of Monaco, with Monaco-ville on top.

Explorations of one of the world’s smallest countries. Continue reading

The Tomb of America’s Dutch President: Martin Van Buren

The tomb of a forgotten president that deserves a little more credit. Continue reading

Ste. Genevieve: A Colonial Town on the Mississippi River

Explore the hidden history of a small French colonial town in Missouri.  Continue reading

Welcome to Bangor

Downtown Bangor, Maine.

A little exploration of the city of Bangor, Maine. Continue reading

A Tomb Fit For Napoleon

Napoleon's Tomb, Église du Dôme, Paris

Only a tomb so elaborate and grandiose as this one would be acceptable for someone like Napoleon. Continue reading

Why Cemeteries Rock

Welford Road Cemetery in Leicester, England.

Why does one history buff love cemeteries so much? Trust me, it’s not creepy. Continue reading