Surviving in a World of Unknowns

Paris is a place that I had never been before; actually it was my first time in France all together. I never took French in high school and had only looked at a French phrase book for about an hour prior to arriving in Paris, I took on the common American attitude that "they will all know English and all the signs will be in English because we are Americans and everyone knows English!" let me tell you this isn't the case! While many people do speak small amounts of English, not all do and there are hardly any signs that are in English!

As we fought our way down the avenue Des Champs Elysees, surrounded by hundreds of people and hundreds of stores filled with hundreds of clothes worth hundreds of Euros, it became very apparent that the signs weren't in English. I was supposed to meet a few people at the Arc de Triomphe at 13.30, because of the large crowds and the lack of "English" signs, I ended up arriving about 20 minutes late. If you have never been to see the Arc de Triomphe, it is in the middle of a huge round about that only one very brave soul would be willing to dash across (I am not that brave soul). Thus I figured that there would be a cross walk somewhere within the circle. I started to walk around this, and about a fourth of the way around, I saw a sign that showed a picture of someone walking through a underground tunnel, it also had text on it; however, I could only read two things: "Arc de Triomphe" and "avenue Des champs Elysees." At this point it hit me that there was an underground tunnel that led to the bottom of the monument. I found the tunnel and made my way to the place where a huge line had formed. It appeared to be a ticket line (however I couldn't read what it said). So I wondered around the line and up a set of stairs, unsure if I was going to be stopped because I hadn't bought a ticket. I thought the group I was meeting might have already purchased me a ticket. After successfully finding my acquaintances, we realized that both they and I had thought that the other bought them a ticket already…the joy of not having a phone in Europe! Thus I had to work my way back down the stairs that were packed shoulder to shoulder to wait in another long and crowded line. We finally got to the window and we had a few minutes of struggled conversation because of my lack of French. Me asking questions such as: how much does it cost per person, where do we get in line, and where can I get basic information about the history. Through all these struggles and confusions, we ascended up 284 winding steps to the very top of the arc. It had spectacular views of all of Paris. It was well worth the struggles and confusions of the day!

Through being able to see the Arc I was able to pick up a pamphlet of information that helped me to understand the history behind the very famous Parisian monument. I learned that the Arc de Triomphe is one of the most well known symbols of the Paris territory and was constructed from 1806 to 1836. It was first envisioned as being a symbol of victory. In the literature it said that Napoleon told his army "you will march home through arches of victory." The idea for this territorial icon was based on the winning of the Battle of Austerlitz in 1806. This monument is not only a symbol of victory but a symbol of military power, victory, and triumph. A visitor is able to see this through the sculptures that are located on the Arc. These sculptures were produced by roughly twenty different artists in a three year period (1833 to 1836). Above the columns of the Arc you see six sections with sculptures. These six areas are recounts of famous scenes from the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Through these specific scenes you can see military power and dominance, victory as well as triumph. Another section of this monument that is also symbolic is the area right under the Arc. It is a flame that burns and a plaque that talks about the Unknown Soldier. This was very symbolic of the lives that were sacrificed in order to dominate over other nations as well as rejoice in victories within their military. I felt that the Arc De Triumph says so much about their culture, their territory, as well as their lives and would recommend that everyone visit it when travelling in Paris.

Listed below are great websites to get more information about the Arc de Triomphe.

- General Information : http://arc-de-triomphe.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

- More In-depth Information : http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Monuments-Paris/Arc-CDG.shtml

- History about the Arc De Triomphe: http://www.earthinpictures.com/world/france/paris/arc_de_triomphe.html

- For Directions: -
View Larger Map

References

- "Arc de Triomphe ." Paris: Centre des monuments nationaux , 2010.