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Here are a few pictures from Salem, Massachusetts. Specifically, "The Burying Point" where many famous people have been buried, including many that were involved in the infamous witchcraft trials in the 17th century. Funny how it rains so badly when I get to a good cemetary.
First, here are my favorite pictures of Highgate Cemetary, located in London, England. This was a special trip for me, and what made it all the wierder is the weather on that Saturday. It was the only time during my trip to London that I suffered horrible, cold wet, unrepenting rain. Other days, the weather was temperamental, but nothing like that. It actually fit the setting all the better, but it also made taking quality photographs a major pain. During the tour of the West end of the cemetary, I sometimes shared my umbrella with a poor, unfortunate, (and cute) Japanese architecture student. I should have asked him to join me for a cup of tea later, but I chickened out. Damn. Onto the photographs...
(1)As I entered this venerable, sprawling cemetary, I was astounded by how very GREEN it was. I wasn't surprised to later hear it was a natural habitat.
(2)Another common sight during this trip was MUD. I'm glad I was wearing my doc martins that day!
(3)This exhibits just how crowded the cemetary is in some parts. Must be all nice and snuggly close down there (but not warm and dry, yuck).
(4)A lovely stone with a bevy of young, cute angels.
(5)Lovely statue standing out on its own
(6)An unusual stone, beautiful black marble. Unfortunately, my Chinese reading skills have slipped enough for me not to understand a word here. Also, my thumb wanted in on this particular gem, forgive me! haha;)
(7)And may the wings of angels bring thee to thy rest.
(8)We were told by the guide that these posts are upside-down cannons. It signifies how death is a reverse, somehow. There are examples of things upside-down all throughout Highgate. It was a fad during the cemetary's heyday in the Victorian Era of England's past.
(9)On top of a large, round mausoleum sits this large, beautiful cedar tree. From what the guide told us, a rare bird inhabits it, unfortunately, the name of it eludes me. You can also tell in this picture, just how bad the rain was.
(10)A long hallway, decorated with Egyptian/art deco style mouldings provided some small amount of shelter from the rain as our tour walked around.
(11)Here is a lovely example of gothic architecture, turned into an impressive gravestone.
(12)A menagerist (zookeeper) rests here, a bronze sculpture of one of his beloved animals keeps a sleepy watch for him.
(13)This little angel looks a bit lost amongst the larger markers.
(14)A violin with its strings made of granite.
(15)Karl Marx's marker. I dare say it's quite intimidating.
(16)Another striking looking angel. I've never seen so many, as it's not commonplace for New Jersey to have angels around. I was impressed by the sheer volume of graves and the grand variety of tombstone styles.
(17)Lovely staircase, eh? At first glance I was in awe of this place, and I was so excited to be there. It's a wonderful, spooky, sacred place. If you can manage a visit, I highly recommend it.
Now, I'm sure there's a lot about death and burial in Japan that I have no knowledge of. If anyone can explain the significance of the wooden boards there, or the bamboo wood buckets with the little cup there, I'd greatly appreciate it. Below is a sampling of photographs I took of cemetaries in Yanaka. Please forgive the fact that sometimes I didn't have much to say, it's from lack of knowledge about this area of Japanese culture, and the fact I don't read or speak the language. Here's the pictures:)
(18)From the Ultraman figures decorating his/her tomb, either this was a fan of the series or a child.
(19)While some plots were very simple looking, some were elaborate, like this natural-looking stone memorial.
(20)In Yanaka cemetary, there were parks, a police box(koban), and even a playground. I was lucky enough to catch the appearance of sakura trees in bloom during my visit, which is evident by the pink petals littering the graveyard grounds.
(21)A closeup of the carving of a lily on one stone caught my eye.
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