Today we spent the morning at the Arc de Triomphe. Our visit to this monument was initially set for last week, but due to the extreme record-breaking heat conditions on that particular day, we decided to postpone our adventure to this week when it was much cooler. And we are so very glad we did because the interior of the Arc is extremely narrow and you have to climb 284 steps on a narrow spiral staircase to reach the top. No circulating air inside either. Thank goodness there were a few landings where you could catch you breath (which we did) before reaching the top.
Before reaching the top, the interior opens to an area where a gift shop, restrooms, and a few artifacts can be viewed.
FINALLY MADE IT TO THE TOP!
The location of the arc and the plaza is shared between three arrondissements, 16th (south and west), 17th (north) and 8th (east). Twelve radiating avenues (which are lined by the trees in the pictures below) all meet at the monument.
The picture below shows the Champs-Élysées, one of the most recognizable avenues in the world. It hosts military processions (like that at the end of WWII) and is the final stretch for the Tour de France.
The roadway around the Arc de Triomphe is named Place Charles du Galle (named after the French army officer who lead the Resistance movement against Hitler during WWII and became President of France serving from 1959 to 1969). The picture below shows the chaos of traffic surrounding this unofficial roundabout. No marked lanes for traffic to drive through. Cars just go around and around until they exit one of the 12 avenues. You just go!! Funny how this picture resembles the appearance of the map when you call for an Uber. LOL!
Views from the summit
Just a bit breezy at the top.
The postcard belows shows a perfect bird's eye view of the monument and the avenues.
The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces..
The Unknown Soldier
Beneath the arc's vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.
On a River Cruise
What was a beautiful day turned into an wonderful evening with a cruise down the River Seine, with wine and cheese and a guided tour of the sites along the way.
A CRUISIN' WE GO
Oldest Standing Bridge in Paris - Pont Neuf - Completed in 1607 ("pont" means "bridge" in French).
Pont du Double
Pont Alexandre III - Built in 1900 for the World Exhibition and is a tribute to the Czar of Russia's father, Alexandre II. This bridge connects the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, built between 1896 and 1900.
One of John's favorites that was viewed on our cruise - the T-Rex on another cruise company's boat.
This one needs no explanation.
The Little Sister - The statue was given to the city of Paris in 1889 by the American community in Paris to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. The gift was given to highlight the historically close bond between France and the United States, and reaffirm the dedication of the two nations to the republican ideal on which they were founded. The status is located on Pont de Grenelle.
Inspiration for the U.S. Capitol - Pictured below is Halle aux bles (meaning corn exchange) building that inspired Thomas Jefferson to have the Capitol in DC built. Jefferson was the American Ambassador to France from 1784 to 1789.
After our cruise we walked around the area a bit before heading back to our hotel. It was a lovely evening to stroll the St. Germain district. We disembarked our evening cruise not far from The Conciergerie where Marie Antoinette was located during her last days. The building was so interesting to me with its turrets that I wanted to look more closely to it.
Not too far along on our walk, we encountered what is shown in the picture below. We remembered what this was all about from our last visit. This is called "Love Locks" and is highly discouraged. Its a padlock that sweethearts lock to a bridge or monument to symbolize their love. The key is thrown away into the River Seine to symbolize unbreakable love. The padlocks were causing damage to the bridges, so in 2015 the city began the taking down of these symbols of love.
In 2017 when John and I were at the Eiffel Tower, our tour guide asked our group before leaving the meeting point, if any of us in the group had a padlock on our person because this was a popular thing to do on the Eiffel Tower. If we did, we had to give the padlock to the tour company or have it confiscated by security at the monument. We could retrieve it from the tour company after the tour if we gave it to our guide before leaving; you would not get it back if taken by security. In my purse I actually had my tiny luggage padlock. I kept it there because I didn't want to lose it. Our guide made the comment he thought it was cute because it was so small. And of course, I forgot to pick up the padlock after our tour was done - so much for not wanting to lose it! LOL! We didn't use the same tour group this year as we had in 2017, so we couldn't comically ask them if they still had the padlock we left back then.
In case you want to see pictures of the Love Locks, here is a link to CNN showing what it looked like as they were being removed. Love Locks
Up tomorrow: Walking among the dearly departed.
Thanks for stopping by!!!
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