L'arc de triomphe de l'Étoile, often called just l'Arc de Triomphe stands at the top of the avenue des Champs-Élysees on the place de l'Étoile. The arch is 50 meters (164 ft.) tall. It was ordered built by Napoleon Bonaparte and its construction took 80 years (1806-1836). Napoleon had been defeated at Waterloo in 1815 and ended up in exile. The Cadogan guidebook for Paris says that the arch "is not a tribute to Napoleon, although it certainly would have been had the emperor been around to finish it. The arch commemorates the armies of the Revolution..."
I think the photos above give an idea of the scale of the arch.
P.S. I'm still having a lot of trouble with our internet connection. My posting may be erratic for a few days. Besides, we have house guests arriving tomorrow, and we are really busy making the house ready after two years of confinement. And then yesterday there were reports that Covid19 is surging again in parts of France, most notably in Toulouse and the southwest. Wish us luck.
The arch is really quite large and imposing, dwarfing those 5-6 story apartment buildings nearby. I learned in high school that the sculptures were La Marseillaise (?). For a while in the 80s I dated a Parisian who lived on Avenue de la Grande Armee...on the top floor under the curved roof, with French-doored dormers facing the street. That was quite a place, with the caged elevator and interior courtyard. It's a great residential area.
ReplyDeleteSounds pretty nice. That's an expensive neighborhood. Though the Cadogan guidebook says "there's nothing at all to see" on the avenue de la Grande-Armée. I obviously don't agree with that.
DeleteHi D. Yes, you’re right. La Marseillaise, by François Rude, is the most famous sculpture of the arch. It is on the right when you look from the Champs-Élysées.
DeleteThanks Ken and chm!
DeleteSeeing the people standing there, really gives that idea of size.
ReplyDeleteI hope the Internet gets straightened out.
I've been reading that Covid is really on the rise in Europe. I have a friend traveling with a big group in Spain... no one in the group, and no one on the streets, seems to be wearing masks.
Masks seem to be making a reappearance here in CA. Our cases are up and they keep threatening to reimpose an indoor mandate.
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