Grave Concerns on our Family Holidays

It was whilst reminiscing over our past family holidays that i noticed an in joke between my two teenage children. A remark about graves had resulted in them having a laugh out load moment, a quick look at each other and then a denial that anything was wrong. It was a few days later when quizzing my daughter that the truth finally came out...."well we always seem to end up in a graveyard whenever we go on holiday". I laughed off her comments putting it down to the youthful exaggerations of teenagers on holiday with their parents and not always getting their own way.

I then began to ponder on the claims and suddenly realised that for various reasons there had been a number of visits to cemeteries on our family travels. Whether it be in Europe, the USA or a short break in the UK, it seemed that that a trip to a graveyard had become a regular part of the itinerary.

There had been visits to see the graves of the famous, obviously some of these planned, such as Johnny Cash at Hendersonville, Tennessee and Sir Winston Churchill at Bladon, Oxfordshire, UK. Could it be considered wrong to visit and pay your respects to these people, virtually turning their graves into tourist attractions, particularly when they are just within a normal cemetery or churchyard mingled in amongst others.

In some cases the graves we visited are part of the tour such as Elvis's at Graceland, when after leaving the Mansion you are escorted round to a collection of stones housing his family. Although beautifully laid out in gorgeous settings it does seem surreal to see a long line of people filing past each stopping to take photos from various angles.


Some Tourist boards openly promote gravestones as a tourist attraction with shops in the vicinity of the graveyard selling a whole array of related souvenirs . This was evident when we visited Edinburgh and followed the tourist trail to Greyfriars Kirkyard to see the graves of local policeman John Gray and his dog Bobby subject of the famous story of "Greyfriars Bobby".


Even on our travels to the traditional beach resorts of Europe, it as resulted in several visits to the local cemeteries. I find it intriguing how other countries remember their dead and observing the different layouts and traditions of the burial sites allow me to experience a side of their culture which is not openly promoted. On a recent trip to Sitges, Spain, we happened to walk by a cemetery, so we went in and spent a fascinating hour viewing the most beautiful, ornate headstones and statues. The graves were well maintained, the site was a mass of colour with flowers abound. However, were we right to go in and observe, even though we treated the site with the respect it deserved?

Perhaps the most special and memorable visit to a cemetery came quite by accident. Whilst driving to a beautiful holiday resort called Le Touquet in Northern France, we drove through a town called Étaples . It registered with me that this was where my Great Grandfather was buried after his passing in the First World War in 1918. We changed our plans at an instant and visited Étaples Military Cemetery. The Cemetery was magnificent, a fitting resting place for the thousands who had given their life fighting for their country. The beautifully manicured lawns housed row upon row of white headstones, as far as the eye could see, bringing home the tragedy of the approximately 11,000 lives that had been lost and were now buried there. With the help of the staff checking their records we were able to locate the grave of my ancestor and in turn pay our respects to our family hero.

Overall, on reflection we have visited a number of cemeteries on our travels, but each has given us an experience for very different reasons. However, i feel we have treated each circumstance in the correct manner, showing respect, maintaining protocol and taking into account the feelings of others......except by the looks of things my teenage children's holiday enjoyment....