8 Jun 2011

Arc de Triomphe, Paris

by | posted in: Europe, France | 6
14th May 2011
This looks very similar to “India Gate” in New Delhi. Built during the period of Napoleon, this monument became the important landmark for all the military parades after successful victories. The military parades were conducted not only by French but also by Germans in 1940 after Hitler’s victory over France!!
Beneath the monument is the tomb of an unknown soldier died during First World War. An eternal flame is lit there. This is in memory of soldiers died who were never identified.
Arc de Triomphe is at the center of the circle where several roads meet. With no marking for pedestrians to cross, we did a foolish act. Jumped into the road to cross!! The road was quite wide and we had to put all our energy to cross over before being run by speeding vehicles. And after crossing we found that there is a way through the tunnel for pedestrians.
One can also climb up to the top by paying entry fee. Continues climb of about 300 steps will bring us to a small museum that shows the history of the monument. Few more steps took us to the top.
The view from the top is simply great!! It looks like all roads lead to the arc.

6 Responses

Leave a Reply