We went to the Arc de Triomphe (ark-duh-tree-umpf) one day when we were riding the Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour Bus. We got off about a block from the Arc so we could walk up the Champs-Elysees (shawn-zey-la-zey). This is a very famous boulevard, not only for history, but for SHOPPING! If you want designer stuff, this is where you get it. We opted not to shop, but wanted to walk up it anyway. The Champs-Elysees is also known as the "triumphal way" since the homecoming of Napoleon's body from St. Helena in 1840. After his greatest victory, the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, Napoleon promised his men they would "go home beneath triumphal arches." The construction on the Arc de Triomphe was started the next year, but because of disruptions and the demise of Napoleon's power, the structure wasn't finished until 1836 - not many years before Napoleon's body was to come home. In 1921, on Armistice Day, the body of the Unknown Soldier was placed beneath the arch to commemorate the dead of World War I. The flame of remembrance which burns above the tomb is relit by various veterans organizations each evening. There is a viewing platform on top of the Arc which overlooks the length of the Champs-Elysees. You can pay to go up to the top of the Arc but it is all stairs, so we opted not to go up there. The last picture is looking back down the Champs-Elysees from the Arc de Triomphe.
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