TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY

Just to check to see if my own travel fascination follows the path of Making An Exit, the book I discussed yesterday, I dug through my photos to see  what mementos I could find.  It turns out that I seem to have a lively interest in visiting the dead. Funerary sculptures, memorials, cemeteries and souvenirs from many places around the world.

And on a personal note, here’s the tomb of my great-grandfather who was a Civil War soldier. A visit to my home state generally includes a visit to the graves of relatives and ancestors. One of the graves with the Civil War designation in that small town Ohio cemetery, contained the remains of a fourteen-year-old boy. My, the amazing things you can discern in a graveyard!

Ohio Grave of Civil War Veteran, Henry Allen Butts

I can think of so many more possibilities.  There are the candles lit for souls in churches around the world, the saints preserved in glass coffins and VIPs buried under church floors. I’ve seen an ossuary at Meteora in Greece, cemeteries with the deceased photograph in Spain,   ancient carvings representing the dead in both Greece and Italy. In fact, I can’t pass a rural church’s graveyard without stopping for a look. Have you ever thought about how much of your travel is devoted to checking out the culture of death? This photo essay is part of Travel Photo Thursday, and if you want to see more of lively pictures from around the world, go to Budget Traveler’s Sandbox. Here is a great collection of visits to cemeteries from various photographers on Jim O’Donnell’s site. Beautiful photos.

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Original article: Photo Essay: Sightseeing Amongst The Dead

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