I'm back in Paris for Halloween and the perfect opportunity presented itself: a party in the Catacombs! It's the exact thing I've been waiting for! We get the elusive coordinates by text and hope for the best. I immediately can tell who is a part of this underground culture by the clothes they wear. It reminds me of the Burning Man vibe so I fully trust any man with a head lamp. About 50 people gather around an entrance, which is a man hole in the ground. The Police stake it out for a while so we all just wait. As soon as the Police leave, everyone takes off running and jumps down the manhole like mice running from rain. There's no time to think as we jump down the man hole too.
The intricate weaving of these underground tunnels is breath-taking. If you don't have a proper guide, you could get lost down there for weeks. We follow the pack of kids through the tiniest of crawl spaces until we discover the opening of a large hall. Decorated with lights and cobwebbs and complete with a live band, we finally arrive at the party. To be in a place with this much history, this many nooks and crannies to explore, is such a Halloween treat. We came with our bag of tricks and had a great time.
The way out is a tricky thing. You gotta have a guide and you can't expect them to leave when you want to. When we were ready to go, we simply staked out the way we came in. Eventually a group comes a long with enough street cred to trust that you can follow them. Follow them through the smoky tunnels of darkness into the unknown. When we finally burst through that manhole and got back onto the street, it was such a rush. The fresh air was never so sweet. We made it out alive!
Happy Halloween~
The intricate weaving of these underground tunnels is breath-taking. If you don't have a proper guide, you could get lost down there for weeks. We follow the pack of kids through the tiniest of crawl spaces until we discover the opening of a large hall. Decorated with lights and cobwebbs and complete with a live band, we finally arrive at the party. To be in a place with this much history, this many nooks and crannies to explore, is such a Halloween treat. We came with our bag of tricks and had a great time.
The way out is a tricky thing. You gotta have a guide and you can't expect them to leave when you want to. When we were ready to go, we simply staked out the way we came in. Eventually a group comes a long with enough street cred to trust that you can follow them. Follow them through the smoky tunnels of darkness into the unknown. When we finally burst through that manhole and got back onto the street, it was such a rush. The fresh air was never so sweet. We made it out alive!
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