CEMETERIES AROUND THE WORLD

We travelled to Europe in June and visited eight countries.  The countries (and cities)  we visited were:

• Amsterdam, Holland
• Warnemunde, Germany
• Berlin, Germany
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Helsinki, Finland
• St Petersburg, Russia
• Tallinn, Estonia
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Molde, Norway
• Bergen, Norway
• Honningsvag, Norway
• Svalbard, Norway
• Longyearbyen, Norway
• Arctic Circle  - 120 miles south of the north center of the earth!

Of course we were always on the outlook for cemeteries wherever we went.  Unfortunately we didn't pass very many.  But we had pre-arranged a two-day private tour in St Petersburg, Russia with a specific request to see cemeteries. 

Russia has beautiful cemeteries and they are rather unique.  The families take great care of their beloved burial sites and flowers grace almost every grave.  Fresh flowers - no plastic memorials here!  To help with this, every cemetery has 'booths' outside the cemetery gates with 'babuska' women who sell flowers every day to the people coming to the cemetery. 

Our guide, Alex, kindly took us to two cemeteries and although we couldn't read the names, the headstones still spoke to us.  Most of the markers we saw were gorgeousl granite with beautiful pictures of the beloved.

 

 

A second cemetery we visited was so large we couldn't follow the paths.  It was very busy with visitors.

 

It was enlightening to see graveyards in other countries where they do care about their relatives and continue to care for them through generations.