A different stroll through Paris

I've been coming here since my early twenties: love at first sight. To this day, like New York, I feel at home the minute my feet hit the pavement. So what an incredible surprise it was to find myself a newcomer to Pere Lachaise.  First stop, its most iconic American resident.

Next up, a visit with the Republic's most famous chanteuse.

It was heartening to see reverent crowds at the stone of one of the world's great bards. His grave has been updated and glass surrounds it for protection. Still, the tributes are dropped over the side by fans of a writer who has not written in a very long time.

The park where all these amazing spirits reside is huge and the kids were completely taken.

You'd have to be a scholar of French history, or spend many days burning out your Google to even touch the number of famous people laid to rest here, but some of the monuments were especially sobering.

Then others offered a lighter perspective on lasting passage.

There was no lack of literary greatness.

But what I found most special of all were the incredible images that captured the eye and imagination at every turn of the path.