The Dieweg Cemetery

So many memories came back while strolling in this cemetery, no longer in use, serving as an unusual promenade spot in Uccle. 

It recalled the municipal cemetery in Vienna, with the tombs of many a famous composer. Also overgrown with all kinds of rampant weeds. 

The red carnations on one of the tombs reminded me of the Romanian Revolution in December 1989. The red carnation was namely the official flower of the Ceaușescu regime. I was 8. I was not allowed to leave the house for a month or so. The first time I went outside after the shootings were over, I stepped into an immaculate ghost city. Heavy snow had covered everything. No footprints anywhere, as people were still afraid to leave their houses. And this shroud of heavy silence...

Apparently, the Dieweg cemetery is famous for the spring equinox, when a beam of light enters the chapel, leaving a heart-shaped mark on the inner walls.  

The Ixelles Cemetery

I admit, it may sound macabre, but I am a big fan of cemeteries.

I have already seen the sinuous Père Lachaise in Paris, with its tombs of Jim Morrison, Chopin and so many other geniuses. The one in Vienna is not bad either. 

As an "ixelloise", I could not leave the Ixelles cemetery unscrutinised. It's a very green cemetery, with tall poplars and pines and it seems to contain the tombs of many famous Belgians. A complete list here. 

As an anecdote, in my home country there is even a Merry Cemetery, worthwhile visiting.