To illustrate the gravity of our recent vows, our first tourist destination on our Parisian Honeymoon was the cemetery. There we gazed enviously at the tombs of those already freed of their marital commitments.

In reality, the Pere Lachaise Cemetery was a surprisingly romantic destination. A lovely morning walk from our hotel through Paris’ 11th Arrondissement led us to the leafy and beautifully maintained cemetery. A vast resting place to countless French and International celebrities of note, we strolled from Jim Morrison’s unassuming grave at the bottom of the hill and wove our way to the top to visit Oscar Wilde’s bizarre tomb. Lovely weather, a gentle pace and a fascinating destination to discover made this an excellent entry point to gently ease us into post-wedding mode.

Elias isn’t sure what face to pull in front of Jim Morrison’s grave

Marthese looks sad at Oscar Wilde’s tomb, but she’s really just confused as to what it is

After a coffee break (with both chairs facing out towards the street as seems to be the Paris standard) we jumped onto the metro with ease and were soon in the middle of Paris to do a little shopping and rooftop sightseeing from Montparnasse Tower. The incredible view from the roof helped us to orient ourselves to the city, giving us a hint of the destinations to come. Although we always knew we were in France, it wasn’t until glimpsing the Eiffel Tower that the reality of it really sank in. Funny how iconic buildings can engender such a feeling of excitement.

I was keen on trying the Hippopotamus but we went up the tower instead

Wandering the streets of Paris is addictive, with each corner turn you feel compelled to explore another street. It wasn’t until exhaustion kicked in that we jumped on our metro home.

We landed yesterday after stopping in Singapore & Helsinki and didn’t do all that much except eat 2 awesome meals – local restaurant Pozada for lunch and some falafel and shawarma pitas for dinner, eaten in a local park. The food here so far is absolutely delicious, and the people have been generally warm and very accommodating. While we’ve found our own lack of French a bit annoying, most French people have appreciated our attempts and forgiven our horrific slaughter of their language.

Click here for more photos from Paris Day 1.
Click here for the full Paris album.