Monday 21 July 2008

A week in Paris (Part 4): Arc de Triomphe


1276 - En survolant Pais
L'Arc de Triomphe Place Charles de Gaulle
The Triumphal Arch Charles de Gaulle Square
Der Triumphbogen Charles de Gaulle Platz
Arco di Trionfo Piazza Charles de Gaulle.


Paris
801 - Coucher de soleil sur Paris

Neither of these cards have been posted or dated.

The Arc de Triomphe is a tribute to the soldiers who have fought for France, in particular during the Napoleonic Wars. Underneath is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

Neither of these cards does real justice to the sight of the Arc. The first time I saw it I was taking an escalator out of the Métro at Charles de Gaulle-Etoile. I looked up at the last minute to see it against a startling blue sky. It was magnificent and quite took my breath away. I had no idea just how big it was. I walked all the way around it, taking my life in my hands as I crossed each of those radiating roads.

And that brings me to one other point: I have never, ever, seen so little traffic on the Etoile. On the several occasions I was forced to drive around it, the traffic was 10 abreast, and everyone trying to move across everyone else.

2 comments:

  1. The view from the top on the Arc is simply stunning!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm sure it is, but I'm almost ashamed to say that I've never been. I was intending to take a friend but when we saw the queues we decided against it. It's SO much easier to get to the top of the Grande Arche at La Défense, though the view is more distant.

    ReplyDelete

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