The following series of pictures document a special trip to the Catacombs of Paris on December 8th (my birthday) 2007. These are not my pictures, all credit should go to Romain.
Here we are in front of the entrance, preparing the descent. I am working on my light.
Walking in the inspection galleries, filled with water.
We can see the year of construction on the walls of the gallery. The oldest galleries date from 1777.
You can see strange machinery here and there. This one was a relay for the phone lines which used to run underground. It has not been used in quite some and just left there as it is so heavy. On this picture you can also see my miner’s lamp which works with calcium carbide.
Pausing to have a drink and something to eat.
In the background, you can see the sculptures that dedicated cataphiles have created in certain rooms. This particular room is called “The Castle”
Our first picture together in front of the Golem in a room called “The Beach”.
The room takes its name from the sand you can find on the floor. On one of the walls, there is also a copy of the famous wave of Kanagawa.
This is a map of the catacombs that we use to figure out where we are.
Going from gallery to gallery sometimes involves crouching and using small holes in the wall.
… And walking in lots of water.
But in the end, it is a lot of fun.
