From the Eiffel Tower, we took the Metro up to the Arc de Triomphe.  The Arc that Napoléon intended as a celebration of his victories was not finished when the Battle of Waterloo brought his downfall. It now stands guard over the remains of an unknown solider from World War I, with the eternal flame burning under it.

We had the three-day museum pass, so with our “free admission” . . . we climbed another hundred or so stairs to the top!   This is what Europeans mean when they say “breathtaking view”!

The Arch is in a huge traffic circle known as L’Etoile (the star).  12 Streets emanate from the circle, creating what can be the most impossible, immovable, traffic jam imaginable with everyone honking in its jammed center.   (speaking of sounds - the undulating sound of a French ambulance is unmistakable!)  The Arch overlooks the Avenue des Champs d'Elysees.

The Champs Elysées was designed as part of a triumphal way out from the Tuileries and planted with elms a century before Napoléon planned his arch.  At the Place Concorde/Louvre Museum end it passes through a majestic stand of trees; by the time it reaches the Arch it is one of the busiest, most cosmopolitan grand avenues in the world - and listed as one of the grandest shopping experiences.   Both the sidewalk and the street make it one of the three widest in the world.

We liked it so much we came back a couple times – strolled the business and shopping area, watched the people, ate at the cafes, strolled through the park, ate at the cafes, …

The Champs d'Elysees ends at Place de la Concorde (where they have free postcards at the vendor kiosk).  It is the largest square in Europe, with a 3300 year old pink granite Egyptian obelisk in the center.   The Place was also the place of over 1300 guillotinings during the French Revolution.