On our whirlwind tour of France, we whirled past the Arc de Triomphe. We actually stopped for a few minutes, but just long enough to say we stopped there. A symbol of the French nation, it links old and new Paris, standing on the highest point of the line running from the Louvre to the newer Grande Arche de la Défense.
It was dedicated to the Armies of the Revolution and of the Empire in 1836. The Unknown Soldier was buried beneath the Arch in 1921. Since then, all military parades have marched around the Arc and not through it, out of respect for the tomb. Each pedestal has a high large relief sculpture, each a work of art.
I would have like to visited the terrace on top, which claims to have a great view of Paris. Maybe next time.
