Arc de Triomphe ... the Arches of Victory...

Arc_TriompheBuilt to glorify the armies of the Republic and the Empire, this monument was constructed in the early 1800s on the Champs Elysees. History documents Napoleon's message to his soldiers is that you will march home through the "arches of victory". During our visit we climbed close to 300 steps to the mezzanine at the top of the triumphal arches. This bird's eye view has twelve avenues that stretch out around it, and the traffic roundabout at its base has at least six different lanes of traffic zig zagging around it. Even at night the traffic is nonstop.

At its base is the tomb of the Unknown S800px-Soldat_inconnu_14_07_2006oldier. The First World War history books suggest that France's elected officials voted to bring the remains of an unknown soldier to the city's Pantheon but the veteran's associated rejected this choice and chose instead that the grave of the Unknown Soldier be honoured at the Arc de Triomphe instead. Its flame was lit in1923 and remains lit to this day.SSD_8799

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