favorite places #2 old cemeteries

Cemeteries. Old cemeteries. The more Victorian, Gothic, slightly neglected, vine covered, romantic the better.  There's something really peaceful and wistful and obviously tragic about them. I love that there's a little momento left behind of someone dead and gone for years and years but yet, here I am, here you are, glancing at that momento. Remembering. Wondering.  A little piece of a life left behind that will always remain a mystery.

Hollywood Cemetery Richmond, Virginia
Final resting place of two presidents and one confederate president and home to the Richmond vampire. Full of wrought iron fences, gorgeous views of the James River, loads of statuary, a stone pyramid and one very cool black iron dog.  Rich in history, legend, and  Gothic landscape this is my go to cemetery. 

Cavehill Cemetery Louisville, Kentucky

A Victorian era cemetery and arboretum, I grew up going here. My mom and my aunt would take us kids to Cavehill to feed the ducks, geese and swans that congregate in the pond in the heart of the cemetery. This is also where my paternal grandparents and a whole slew of other relatives are buried. This is where my love of old cemeteries began.

Bonaventure Cemetery Savannah, Georgia
Famous for the statue of the bird girl used on the cover of the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil this cemetery is a southern oasis. Dripping in spanish moss and perched on the edge of the Wilmington River. The bird girl statue has been moved out of the cemetery but there are still oodles of other fascinating graves to see.

Elmwood Cemetery Norfolk, Virginia
I lived in Norfolk for years and years and it took a visit long after I had moved away for me to really see Elmwood. It's flat, like pretty much everything in this part of the state, but full of Victorian style monuments galore. And being near the ocean there's a strong coastal theme...several graves have the inscription "swept away at sea".

Oak Hill Cemetery Georgetown, Washington DC
I've walked past this cemetery several time on visits to Georgetown but just recently ventured in for the first time. Not a whole lot in the way of angels and statues here but a plethora of creepy crypts and mausoleums. And a really pretty hillside path above Rock Creek.

Highgate Cemetery London, England
I've been to Highgate twice and would love to go again someday.  To see the good stuff you need to take a tour but it's cheap and it's worth it. One guide described the cemetery as being in state of "managed neglect" which to me sums it up perfectly. This is my favorite cemetery.And oh yeah, I've been told, there are foxes that live in Highgate. Though I have yet to spot one I'm sure that I will one of these day.

The Necropolis Glasgow, Scotland
I've heard of The Necropolis for years but just last year finally was able to visit it. It's on a hill with a winding path to the top, like a seashell. Once you reach the top of the hill you're rewarded with amazing views of the city. And along the way are all kinds of little detours...steps leading up to plots alongside the hillside hidden under trees, old mausoleums with crumbling iron gates, it's a spooky and beautiful place. But definitely not somewhere that I'd like to be caught in after dark.

Pere Lachaise Paris, France

My one and only visit to Pere Lachasie was late in the day and rushed. None the less I was duly impressed. This is truly a city of the dead. Full of winding paths and it's own little neighborhoods like the city of Paris itself. And of course this is the burial place of Jim Morrison. And Oscar Wilde. And Edith Piaf. I'm journeying to Paris again this summer and plan to arrive at Pere Lachaise much earlier in the day with lots of time to explore.

And just a few random more from here and there...Charleston, South Carolina, Petersburg, Virginia, the Cotswolds in England, Oxford, England...
It seems as if every small town has it's own churchyards with graves galore and the best ones are those that are a bit ramshackle, a bit overgrown, a bit of an adventure to stumble across.