From New York to Paris

Green makes me happy. Even it is a reflection of the light.–R

Fly to New York City this weekend to attend my friend’s wedding,  i just feel NYC is such a place that you fall in love with so quickly and you cant help getting out of it.

Dance party.  Good-looking people. Music with a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. when i came to the hotel,  i wonder whether Paris will be like that this glamourous or it is full of romance, maybe a little bit fakeness.

anyway, instead of writing some stuff about my feeling and comment, im gonna jump to the main site for this Thursday, well, it is kinda friday night but i make up for it.

It is Arc de Triomphe!!!! i know i have posted this picture before but that is only one i have for this gigantic buidling so i just put it here again, people know what im talking about.

i just have no words for this moment.–R

The Arc de Triomphe is a monument in Paris that stands in the centre of thePlace Charles de Gaulle, also known as the Place de l’Étoile.Officially, it is the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile. It is located at the western end of theChamps-Elysees. The triumphal arch honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought. Underneath is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I.

Some facts about Arc de Triomphe:

• Napoleon I ordered the construction of the Arc de Triomphe to honor the Grande Armée which won the battle of Austerlitz in 1806.
• The monument was designed by a French architect Jean Chalgrin, in 1806. Its design was largely inspired by the Arch of Titus, a marble triumphal arch in Rome.
• A wooden replica of the arch was constructed so Napoleon and his bride Marie Louise could enter Paris through it in 1810.
• After Jean Chalgrin’s death in 1811, Jean-Nicolas Huyot was commissioned to complete the work of the Arc de Triomphe.
• The construction of this monument came to a brief halt in 1814 due to Napoleon’s abdication, and was resumed in 1826.
• Although it was ordered by Napoleon I, the construction of this monument was completed in 1836, 15 years after his death.
• Napoleon’s body was taken through the arch on December 15, 1840, when it was taken to Les Invalides in Paris, its final resting place.
• The cost of building this monument was 9.3 million francs, a large sum of money at that time.
• The 2nd largest triumphal arch in existence today, Arc de Triomphe is 51 meters tall, 45 meters wide and 22 meters deep.
• The Arc de Triomphe is so stupendous that aviator Charles Godefroy was able to fly his Nieuport biplane through it at the 1919 Paris Victory Parade to mark the end of the First World War.
• Other famous victory parades held at the Arc de Triomphe include that by the French in 1918, the Germans in 1871 and 1940, and the French along with the allies in 1944-1945.
• The names of the 558 French generals are engraved on the inner face of the arch.
• There are 30 shields at the top of the arch bearing the name of each of Napoleon’s glorious victories.
• The four supporting columns of the arch sport the names of major battles of the Napoleonic Wars.
• At the base of the four pillars of the arch lie four relief sculptures named Triumph of 1810, Resistance, Peace and La Marseillaise.
• Beneath the arch is a grave of the Unknown Soldier, who was cremated on November 11, 1920.
• This tomb represents 1,500,000 French soldiers who lost their lives in the world war.
• The inscription on the tomb of the unknown soldier reads: Ici Repose un Soldat Français Mort pour La Patrie 1914-1918, meaning “Here lies a French soldier who died for his fatherland 1914-1918”.
• The Flame of Remembrance on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a tribute to the dead, who were never identified in the First World War I and the Second World War.
• After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, his wife requested that an eternal flame, like the one present on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, be placed next to her husband’s grave.
• An observatory located on the top of the arch offers a panoramic view of La Défense and Sacré-Coeur.
• Annually on July 14, the French National Day, a military parade starts at the Arc de Triomphe and makes its way down the Champs Élysées

i like when sun goes down, the light is kinda amazing everywhere.–R

well, it took me awhile to organize this post and i hope all of you enjoy the information about the monument. it is always good to know some facts before you actually see it.

nothing else, nothing else.  New York city, good bye and good night.

ROY RAO

Guest posting:  from Roy Rao, Spring Intern with Forum-Nexus Study Abroad.