Today I pick us up at the famous Arc de Triomphe. This monument marks the center of the Place de l’Étoile (or star square) where twelve avenues converge. I access the monument via an underpass and once above ground, I finally see how huge it is:

 

The friezes and sculptures found at the base of the Arc commemorate peace, resistance, triumph, and national pride:

 

At the heart of the Arc is the tomb of the unknown soldier (from WWI) accompanied by the eternal flame:

 

On this day I climb the 284 steps to get to the top of the monument for a phenomenal view of the city. As many stairs as I’ve had to climb throughout this trip, none of them have gotten any easier. At least in this case I feel like each dizzying step is taking me to the top point of the star. And I’m right. The top doesn’t get any better than this. Once on the roof, the city unfolds like a 3-dimensional map in front of me. In these next two pictures you can see the two structures I blogged about earlier: the Sacré-CÅ“ur…

 

and the Eiffel Tower:

 

It’s amazing to see life humming below you…all those cars and apartments filled with people living a modern life in the middle of historical landmarks:

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I’m excited to go join the foot traffic on one of the large tree lined avenues, but let’s linger for just a bit longer to take in one of my favorite views…

 

and then we can hit the Champs-Élysées for shopping and lunch… 

 

Let’s see what we find on the streets in tomorrow’s blog!