It is probably one of the prettiest cemeteries I have ever seen as well. At the risk of sounding a bit creepy and morbid, I could probably spend a few hours wandering around it because there flowers, trees, and ivy all over it. 
We learned that the more money the people had, the more elaborate their graves could be. If they were wealthier they could also be buried closer to the pathway, whereas the less well off people were buried further back in the foliage more. There was a lot of different types of influences on the headstones and mausoleums as well ranging from Greek to Egyptian to traditional Catholic. There was also an abundance of angel statues, and being the Doctor Who fan that I am, all I could think when I saw them was "don't blink!" 
After the guided tour, we were able to go across the road to the other part of the cemetery to continue looking at the more modern graves, which was also very cool because we got to see Karl Marx's grave, which was actually two graves; his original one, and a relocated one complete with quotes and a rather gaudy bust of him. 
There was also a crypt that we got to go in, where Charles Dickens' daughter was initially buried, but upon seeing the gloominess of it he insisted she be moved to a sunnier place in the cemetery (and I can see why, because it was a pretty creepy place!) we sadly weren't allowed to take photos in the crypt though. We also saw the grave of a self proclaimed menagerist, which was probably my favorite because it had a huge lion sculpture in tribute to his tame pet lion on top.
I thought the cemetery was really interesting. I liked marx's grave in particular because the original was much farther back on the path than the new one that was right on the main path with the giant gaudy statue that you mentioned.
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ReplyDeleteHighgate cemetery does look beautiful with it's stillness and calm, or that could just be from the pictures. That story about the animal trainers is pretty fantastic. I wonder if the stories are true and he was really able to tame a lion or did it pull a Siegfried and Roy. Too soon?
ReplyDeleteI was astonished by how many graves there were there! It seemed very overpopulated for a grave yard, but I guess we don't have the space issue back home. The lion on the grave was probably my favorite thing to see. I enjoyed the story and he looks so peaceful and tame. We had a difficult time locating Karl Marx's original grave, as it was pretty faded and worn down and the map proportions seemed skewed. We were able to find it though!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could've gone to this cemetery with you guys! It seems like it would've been very cool. I also enjoy reading gravestones, it's fascinating. I've never been in a mausoleum before, and I'm sure they're very creepy. Karl Marx's grave is extremely creepy, his eyes on his bust look dark and lifeless. Overall, I like how the graveyard is amongst trees and vines, it's amazing how old it is and that there are so many people buried there.
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