I lived in Paris for over 10 years, and a good deal of my social circle comes from the catacombs. This article, like others, are so eager to wrap an outing int

I lived in Paris for over 10 years, and a good deal of my social circle comes from the catacombs. This article, like others, are so eager to wrap an outing into the catacombs as some type of adventure, a mystical experience, where misstep ends in death and dying a slow death in a deep corner of a labyrinth is inevitable but for your guide. The catacombs are the Parisian equivalent of hanging out in the woods / trainyard / whatever when you were 19 - 25. Paris is en expensive city. When you're young and want to go out / get drunk / leave the watchful eye of your parents and societal structures, you go into the catacombs. If you go the weekends, you have to try very very hard to avoid people. There are no "catacomb rules" or codes of conduct. It's a place used for self expression, typically of youth, and mainly for socialising. It's a little bit frustrating to see articles rendering what is very much a commonplace affair hyperbolic.