Sunset at the Arc Du Triomphe

It was our final night in Paris. I was jonesing for one last Parisian authentic French meal, especially cassoulet. Sue was still stuffed from lunch, and is vowing to eat nothing but salad when we return.  The kids were moderately hungry, after having had ice cream from their favorite local shop.  Fortunately, everyone needed to get out and exercise, so we ventured to the Arc Du Triomphe - about 30 minutes walk from our flat. It's a great monument to France, and it also houses the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Arc is in the middle of a huge traffic roundabout, and to get there you have to walk through a tunnel under the road.  To keep the kids cautious when crossing the street, I told them the Arc housed the Tomb of the Unknown Pedestrian. 

We had heard the view from the top was equal to the Eiffel Tower, and since we arrived at sunset we took the 267 steps up to the top to view the city from another angle. Especially interesting is the perspective of the Champs Elysee, which runs from the Louvre, past l'obelisk, through the Arc du Triomphe, and then beyond to the skyscraper part of town where a modern arch-like building now stands. You gotta give the French kudos for their sense of aesthetics.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has a simple plaque, and they light a flame every night in his honor.  It was a good illustration to the kids of the sadness and senselessness of war.

 

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Afterwards, we had a decent dinner at a Lebanese restaurant, which had vegetarian food for Bryce, and was crowded enough to appear to be a good place.  The most interesting thing was the rose petal ice cream for dessert.  I'm still sad I missed out on my cassoulet.