Before even setting foot on Place Charles de Gaulle we knew for sure that this "Charles de Gaulle" is an important dude in French History. For once their Airport is named after him. He turned out to be French general, statesman, and President of France. Because here at Place Charles de Gaulle we could see Paris's iconic Arc de Triomphe, symbol of France's pride and patriotism. We had been wandering in and around the Avenue des Champs-Élysées for the past two days. But somehow due to lethargy or weariness we could not make it to the Arch. However, we got lucky the third time. After taking a few long-shot photographs we decided to pass through the tunnel under street that would take us near the Arc. Inside the tunnel there was a huge crowd waiting to get the ticket to go to the rooftop. For a few minutes we couldn't decide between whether to stand in the queue or move ahead.
The arch was built between 1806 to 1836 as a tribute to those who fought for France notably during the Napoleonic wars. Napoleonic wars were a series of battles fought between French Empire and its allies, spearheaded by Napoleon I and European coalition powers funded and led by United Kingdom.
The inner and outer surfaces are adorned with names of generals and all French victories. The triomphe was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806. The inspiration to this is Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy. This arch was the tallest triumphal arch till Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City took over in 1938. This monument literally stands in the middle of the street with a towering height of 164 feet and width of 148 feet.
Our timing was perfect as we get to to witness the relighting of eternal flame at the Tomb of the unknown solider. It is symbolic to honor one soldier as it epitomizes all others who died in battle fighting for their nation. It is eternal because the flame is never put out and rekindled every evening at 6:30 through a small ceremony. We felt so fortunate to see this. It reminded us of Amar Jyothi of India Gate back home.
We get to chat with an Indian couple honeymooning in Paris. The bride was from Mussoorie, India and we were curious to know whether our favourite writer Ruskin Bond still makes his weekly visit to the local bookstore and continues his autographing session. She said mostly he does if he is in pink of his health. The guy used the word "amalgamation" a lot in his sentences. It is not everyday you come across that word in a casual conversation. That is why we named them "amalgamation couple" so we can remember them.
The Arc de Triomphe stands literally in the middle of the street. Few boisterous teenagers clicked photos of themselves by placing tripods in the middle of the road with arc as background. We looked into the vehicle drivers' and to our surprise they were all smiling and enjoying the little antics. Oh! The joy of being young and carefree.
Tips:
Opening Hours:
April-September: 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
October-March: 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Entry Fee: Free
Entry to Rooftop: 12€
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