Claudia P.
Yelp
The Panthéon, I paid and lined up the same day, the wait was minimal and the location is beautiful, the Latin Quarter, surrounded by beautiful architectural buildings and near the Sorbonne University. Built in honor of Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, which was a church then later turned into a mausoleum for the remains of distinguished French citizens. I made a list of who was important for me to see, you can also get a map there and look at everything or just focus on what is important to you. For me I had to pay my respects to the great Victor Hugo, whose house is only a 20 minute walk, which I went. Also on my list was Alexandre Dumas, the great writer or the Three Musketeers. Then, Jean Moulin, from the Resistance during WWII who has a strange Bastet Cat by his tomb, very unique. Also, Josephine Baker, who is a new edition to the Pantheon and well deserved, her remains had just arrived not too long ago, her life was full of resilience and she should be known as a revolutionary fighter for freedom; a spy, a star a diplomat, a bad...as....s. Next, one of the best philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains." And he is coincidentally or purposely facing his rival, Voltaire, which I also admire, a famous philosopher who famously criticized the Catholic Church and Slavery, "The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom." And you can't forget Victor Schoelcher, the leading politician who fought for the abolition of slavery in France. Louis Braille, the educator who invented the braille reading and writing system and then go see Félix Éboué, Jean Perrin, Émile Zola, André Malraux, and the Curie's.