Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile: The Metrosexual Older Brother of La Defense

Simply put, the Arc de Triomphe is awe-inspiring. Following the time-honored tenets of “Little Man Syndrome,” Napoleon ordered the construction of this enormous monument in 1806 to honor the French army. This is perhaps the only good thing to ever come out of an arrogant cocktail including delusions of grandeur and an inferiority complex. For that, ol’ Napoleon, I thank you. To spare you the history lesson, I’m going to recount my own experience upon the arch. Ascending to the top was no small task for my lazy self, but I found that once I reached the summit (if I may call it that) I did not regret the exercise I had gotten. The entire span of the city of Paris becomes visible and within a few strides, you can see Sacré Cour, the Eiffel Tower and loads of other landmarks. The tree lined streets disappear into metropolitan mazes as pedestrians perambulate onward in every direction. It is a beautiful scene from so high, only to be trumped by the view from the Eiffel Tower. But c’mon. This is to be expected from that enormous phallic symbol of France, and not as much from the modest square that is the Arc de Trimphe (I kid, I kid!) It frames Champs Elysées nicely and you can almost see the money being incinerated below as people walk out of Dolce and Gabbana or Luis Vuitton stores in that horrendous shopping district. In a word, this homage to the republic is extravagant.

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