L'Arc de Triomphe
Our Silver Paris
Welcome to my Paris travel journal,
where I share our experiences of our special journey to Paris.
Please use these posts as a guide for your own travels
to this amazing and wonderful city!
Or simply read, and dream...
Sometimes photographers go to somewhat crazy lengths to get a great shot. For the image below, I braved being in the middle of avenue des Champs-Ëlysées with speeding traffic on either side of me.
In case you fear I was literally standing in the middle of the street--that car in the foreground passed right by me--well, I was standing in the middle of the street...
You can see in both the above and below images that there are stoplights in the middle of the street, with pedestrian walkways and islands at the stoplights so pedestrians can cross the street in two stages, if need be. Those center islands also serve as great photo staging locations, in my opinion. :)
On to the meat of this post. L'Arc de Triomphe at last! We had started our anniversary at the Louvre, and this was our final destination--the place where the roads radiate out in spokes.
L'Arc de Triomphe is a massive structure; it's as simple as that. But it is ornately carved, beautiful in its architecture as are all the other famous--and many common--buildings in Paris. Now let's get up close and personal, right in the square where the Arch is located.
Detail on one of the columns.
A close-up of the image above it.
Detail on another column -- the crowning of Napoleon.
Detail above Napoleon's head and crown.
Standing underneath.
In the center, looking up.
Detail on the inside arch.
An inlaid plaque in the ground, "In homage to the students and citizens who defied the German Occupation Army at risk of their lives."
Members of the French military.
Another inlaid plaque: To the combatants of the armies
To the combatants of the Resistance
Dead for France
Inside the Arc, we went partway up the winding spiral staircase and into a room before ascending the rest of the way to the top.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
We climbed the last of the 282 steps, and then, we were at the top.
The views were phenomenal. I think I've run out of descriptive words!
Looking west toward modern Paris.
City panorama, with gold-topped Église du Dome in the upper-right corner.
Looking down l'avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Two of the streets that radiate out from the Arch. L'Avenue des Champs-Élysées is on the right.
A rooftop garden.
City view, with St. Sulpice being the prominent structure.
Another rooftop garden, including a pond!
Remember those 282 steps we climbed? We had to go down them, too. Here's what they looked like from the top going down.
At least going down was a whole lot easier than climbing up!
- Nearest Métro station: Charles de Gaulle Étoile (lines 1, 2, and 6; RER line A)
- Cost: free to visit. To go up to the top of the Arc (highly recommended!), it's 8 € for adults and 5 € for students 18-25 (free for children and students up to age 17).
- Hours: April-September -- 10:00am-11:00pm
- What to see: The Arc itself is amazing, and the views are phenomenal. 'Nuff said.
- Combine with: A walk down avenue Champs-Élysées, a visit to le Grand Palais et le Petit Palais, and/or a wander-walk through le jardin de la Vallée Suisse.
Treasuring life's moments,
Christine
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