struck me as a contemplative tribute to life rather than a somber place of remembrance and reflection that cemeteries usually are. The cemetery is an example of a new (in the mid-nineteenth century) style of 'rural garden cemeteries', which changed the way in which public green spaces were designed. Roses, magnolias, imposing mausoleums, poetry chiseled on grave stones of most unusual shapes ... The beauty and opulence of the place is something one notices immediately: Tiffany stained glass windows, Victorian, Gothic, Egyptian and Roman-style structures and sculptures, and vistas of the modern Altanta skyline. In other words: feast for all senses. We walked, marvelled and contemplated.
People burried at Oakland ('70.000 souls') were the cream of the South: military figures, architects, civil servants, sports champions, some more humble members of Atlanta society, and last but not least: Civil War soldiers. Their graves were most striking because of their simplicity, and the sheer number. So much history in one place!
My thoughts when strolling along the winding paths of this garden? What beauty there is in our remembrance of those we love, what poetry in people wishing to emphasise the splendour of their lives when they are no longer able to enjoy it themselves ...
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