Paris main visit page 2

Introduction et Arc de Triomphe

Champs Elysees Av.Montaigne-Rond Point Champs Grand et Petit Palais

Pont Alexandre III

Place Concorde

Rue Faubourg Saint Honoré
Eglise la Madeleine

Parc Monceau Cathedrale Newsky, Musée Jacquemart André
Musée Nissim de Camondo

Paris-8th arrondissement-Introduction and Arc de Triomphe

Royal road, imperial road, triumphant road…..To name the CHAMPS-ELYSEES no words or expressions are too superlative. It is the universal Paris, where luxurious luxury plays the high notes, where stylish facades stuns your senses, large boulevards, historical memorials and street cafes with elegant apron dressed waiters.  Some people even make a detour via the Porte Maillot to enter the Champs and catch the atmosphere.  At night this boulevard looks like a double light stream, yellow left, red right, never extinguishing or fading. An important face-lift in 1993-1994 improved enlarged the sidewalks a lot. Despite all that, the Champs Elysees has a sad appearance lately. The ones who loiter now over this avenue that so many chansons and songs praised, sees the Paris of the clichés, the world of what I would call (north of the rond-point des Champs Elysées), the “HIGH “part of the Champs with its too expensive luxury boutiques, café-restaurants, snacks, Mac Dos, major airline anonyme bank offices, travel agents and car show rooms. Not particularly the ideal place for the tourist who came to smell Paris city climate. He will have some difficulty to move in the stream of tourist and wildly parked. Then you have the “LOW “ part of the Champs-Elysées where the timeless charm of nonchalant lanes and quiet terraces didn’t completely disappear. On one side there is still the famous stamp and old postcards market and a sympathetic stationery exchange.  The ones of you having a millionaire budget to spend, the avenue Montaigne awaits you to have a regal in the luxurious world famous boutiques. Dior, Prada, Montana, Chanel, Givenchy and others…the sort of commerce’s of which Baudelaire wrote that they radiated  “luxe, calme et volupté” But let’s start our walk at the Place de l’Etoile called now place Charles de Gaulle (the Parisians rarely name it that way). The famous ARC DE TRIOMPHE is of course the main attraction here. Built for the glory of the armies of Napoleon, it’s the typical image of the great imperial epic and megalomania. The irony is that Napoleon never saw the arch completed. It’s king Louis-Philippe who inaugurated the monument in 1836. 4 years later, Napoleons ashes came back from Sainte-Helena through the arch and were exposed before their transfer to the Invalides.  

The four big reliefs on the facade represent the march of the Volunteers in 1792 (at the right with the Champs in your back) also known under the name “Marseillaise”. The Triumph of 1810 is on the left (peace with Austria), a scene from the 1814 revolt on the right and the peace of 1815. All names of the Napoleon victories (or slaughters, call it as you wish;-)), as well as the names of his 660 generals and officers are engraved in the Arch complex. By the way, Victor Hugo was very upset because his fathers name was not mentioned on the arch together with the 660 names.  Don’t cross under ANY circumstance the place de l’Etoile between the mad traffic, you get killed for sure!! Take the tunnel from the Champs Elysees or the avenue de la Grande Armee, and you will realize what grand and impressive building this is. 50 meters high and 45 large. You can take an elevator to the top with one of the finest panoramic views of Paris.
Under the Arch lies also the ‘Tombe du Soldat Inconnu”. (Unknown Soldier) since 1921. 
An eternal flame burns since that date. Since then, the Arc de Triomphe witnessed all great events of Parisian life.Two well known personages did the same thing in an interval of 4 years: Adolf Hitler and General de Gaulle. They paid  respect to the Unknown Soldier before descending triumphantly the Champs-Elysees on foot! 
A few anecdotes about the Arc (extr. from my favourite guidebook"Le guide du Routard,available in all good book stores): (quote)a bizarre clod fried a few eggs over the flame of the unknown soldier,  an aviator Charles Goddefroy, ignoring the interdictions, succeeded in 1919, before the stunned eyes of a few photographers, to pass under the Arch in his aeroplane. A real feat of strength, he had only 3-meter margin on each side (unquote).
Let’s now get on the Champs-Elysees, but that’s for next article.

Bibliography: --Vie et histoire des arrondissements de Paris,ed.Hervas,1985-1988, 20 volumes- Le piéton de Paris, by L.P. Fargue, ed.Gallimard 1997-Dictionnaire historique des rues de Paris, by J.Hillairet, ed.Minuit 1985, Guides du Routard 1998, ed.Hachette, Parijs, een wereldstad, by Hilaire Verbert, ed. Nelle 1996, De l’Arc à Concorde, by J.Boucher, ed. Presses Cité 1993.