Capela dos Ossos

Nos Ossos Que Aqui Estamos Pelos Vosses Esperamos (We bones await yours.)

The Capela dos Ossos (the chapel of bones) behind the Manueline-Gothic church of St. Francis in Evora, Portugal,  has got to be one of the most bizarre places I have ever been to.  Bones and skulls all collected in the 17th century by Franciscan monks line the chapel from floor to ceiling.  It's oddly mesmerizing--both surreal and too too real.  Creepy.  The bones came from overflowing graveyards.  There was a lot of nervous snickering going on among my fellow tourists.  

The two desiccated corpses finally did me in.  I left my travel buddy to soak up the ghoulish atmosphere, while I headed to the more beautiful (and even older) remains of a Roman Temple just down the street.  I ordered a beer and waited for Richard to show up.  My old bones can wait awhile to meet yours, thank you very much.

What is it about "the macabre" that holds such allure?  I find it interesting that such fascination spills into fashion.  Mimi loves goth.  She would dress in black velvet, black leather and black lace every day if I let her.  She would also beat bad guys to a pulp like Lisbeth Salender, allow herself to be carried to the belfry of Notre Dame by a hunchback, and dream of dreams, model for Ann Demeulemeester during Paris Fashion Week.

And such is the allure.  To live among ghouls and romantics.  To exchange tedium for a world of adventure.  From time to time, we all need a little goth in our lives, don't we?