Alrighty so post lock bridge, we took a slight
break to plan out our night on the Champs Élysées. We were going to see it all: Place de la
Concorde, Christmas markets galore, Arc de Triomphe, and Eiffel tower, just
like a typical tourist should.
We took pictures in front of the Eiffel tower that
night but because of the rain, we decided to climb the 700-something stairs to
the top on a clearer day. Note to self: there are many people selling
illegal items on the streets. Before you make any assumptions, many of
these illegal items were cheap trinkets that only seem like a good idea the
moment you buy it. After that it spends its life in the back of your closet collecting dust bunnies with the Furbies. So anyway, once while visiting Versailles, the police came, and all of
these vendors scattered. And by scattered I mean sprinted. This one
man had an elaborate table set up and in one swift motion had gathered his
things and swiftly sped towards a park, ninja-like with table in hand. Anyway,
if you have no interest in buying an item, DO NOT ask the price. We had
forgotten to bring our umbrellas that rainy evening, so Olivia asked how much the vendor was
selling it for. Well, this determined salesman wasn’t going to leave until that umbrella was sold. After attempting to
leave, failing and being followed for a quarter of a mile, bargaining ensued. Successful salesman he was, this soon to be realized very cheap umbrella was now in Olivia’s possession
(for half of the original price of course).
All of a sudden we wander up to, drum roll please,
the EIFFEL TOWER! A must see. Every hour for ten minutes, strobe lights
located all around the Eiffel tower start to sparkle, making a fantastic show.
GEOGRAPHY TIME! So look at the
map below. It’s pretty simple actually. Road with red "A" pin=Champs Élysées: a street full of Christmas Markets during this time of
year with hot wine, plenty of crepes and waffles, and trinkets galore. On
one side of the street there is the Place de la Concorde, a square which holds
an Egyptian obelisk (bottom right on map). On the other side you’ll find the
Arc de Triomphe (top left on map).
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| Me, Liz, and Olivia on the Champs. Yep we're on a first name basis now with Madame Élysées. |
Place de la Concorde,
pictured below. In the middle you can see the Eiffel tower out in the
distance and on the right you will see a structure resembling the George
Washington monument. This structure is standing on the spot where Marie
Antionette and Louis XVI were beheaded during the “Reign of Terror” in 1794.
Previously called, the Place de la Révolution, the name was changed to Place de
la Concorde (meaning agreement) to put the history of violence behind them.
The structure standing there now was a gift from the Egyptians (hence hieroglyphics on
the structure) representing a symbol of peace.
 |
| Crew minus Olivia. Note: hieroglyphics |
As I mentioned before, the
Champs Elysees is a long street capped by the Place de Condorde and the Arc de
Triomphe.
 |
| Champs Elysees and small Arc at end. The Arc is not small i.e. the street is quite long. |
We stopped for dinner
halfway down the street at the Hippopotamous. Did we pick the restaurant
simply because of the name? Yes. Did our waitress slightly resemble Dobby? Yes...bless her heart.
We made it! The Arc de Triomphe. It’s hard
to imagine the size of this structure but look at the small people directly
under the arc, not the ones in the foreground. Huge. The pictures simply to do not it justice.
Remember that Napoleon guy? So after a
great military victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, celebrations were in order
so Napoleon decided to have an enormous arch built. He, however, did not
stop at one arch. While the Arc de Triomphe is the largest, other arches
are scattered around France, representing Napoleon's military power.
Napoleon did not see the finished Arc de Triomphe, as it was not completed until 15 years
postmortem. The Arc has military written all over it including names of French generals inscribed on the interior and statues showing
scenes of battles.
Some other tid bits: Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier is underneath the Arc, installed post WWI. Each night the
memorial flame is lit and new flowers are put on the tomb in remembrance of
those who died.
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| A little look back from our original spot. You can barely see the ferris wheel on the other end of the Champs Élysées. |
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