I’m fascinated by cemeteries. And not in a goth/oh I’m so complicated/look at me way. I’ve worked in the death industry and my mother has for 20 years. She taught me cemeteries are about respect, love, memories, etc. Beautiful, wonderful feelings and expressions. The way society shows respect for those who have died says a great deal about how they view life.
Over the weekend I was in Vienna visiting my best friend as she was there for work. Being in Europe it’s easy to pop over for a few days (which in and of itself is insane but I digress). The last full day while she was working I decided to track down Beethoven’s grave. This cemetery was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen.
The creativity of using mixed mediums, e.g. granite and bronze on the same memorial, the various statues, the humor (Auf Weidersehen on a cross, I couldn’t stifle my laughter), the woman working on restoring the gold lettering, it all left me speechless. And further evidence that I’m a massive weirdo, but I walked around with such a smile on my face just taking it all in.
I hope one day that someone looks at me the way this woman is looking at the man. I didn’t feel sadness when I saw this, I saw love and reflection. 
But with this one, I saw complete and total heartbreak. Which in and of itself was beautiful in a way.
Forecast: rambling and nonsense 