The Paris Effect
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Press

A Triumphal March Through Time

4/23/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
I can spend an easy hour just staring at a map of Paris.
  Plotting a new walking circuit is a pre-trip indulgence
that this Paris pioneer can't resist. 
Sketching out a new walk fills me with anticipation and longing.

"It is good to have an end to journey toward;
but it is the journey that matters, in the end."
Ernest Hemingway

There are many faces of Paris - artistic, intellectual, fashionable, historic,
and every wander is filled with energy and creativity.
  Paris Past, Paris Present and Paris Future fill your days with pleasure.
   From grandest of the grand to little peeks at the more mundane,
the Paris map is a walker's dream come true.

It's probably safe to say that everyone who visits Paris
stops to study and admire the Arc de Triomphe, one of
the iconic monuments that put the P in Paris.
  It simply can't be missed.
  Always near the top of every travelers' list, it doesn't disappoint.

On the other side of the coin, you'll find a different giant,
La Grande Arche, the new face of monumental Paris.
  Both sites are legendary, each an epic piece of the Paris narrative.

The big idea strikes!
As I study the map, searching for my next great Paris odyssey, I realize,
though I've been to both landmarks, I've never walked from one to the other.
  It's a straight shot -- slightly less than three miles, an easy morning stroll.
How many times have I walked from the Arc de Triomphe,
  down the Champs-Elys
ées, past Place de la Concorde and
  on to the Louvre at the opposite end of the Historical Axis of Paris.
  That stroll, too, is about a three mile trek.
The Triumphal Way.

Even though I've sashayed down every other grand avenue that
make up the famous spokes emanating from the Arc de Triomphe,
the one street I've somehow missed is the Avenue de la Grande Arm
ée.
It's the broad boulevard (directly opposite the Champs-Elys
ées)
that leads to La D
éfense, the skyscraper-filled
  business quarter that features La Grande Arche.

Such a simple plan, my mission is clear. 
Follow the Axe Historique, the grand concept of what makes
Paris the one destination we can't get enough of.
  Don't just see the sites, experience them.
Pursue the undiscovered places in-between.

From the past to the present and on to the future,
  seek the transition, the progressive gallop we call history.

And it doesn't hurt to burn off some buttery croissant calories along the way.

Picture
 Begin your walk with Paris past. 
The Arc de Triomphe seems like a perfect place to start.
  Gazing up at the majesty of Napoleon's triumphal arch always
makes me feel as if I have finally arrived.

  Its gigantic scale serves as an anchor to not just the Champs-Elys
ées,
the grandest avenue in Paris, but also as the welcome mat to this great city.
  Built to commemorate Napoleon's victories,
the Arc de Triomphe also serves as starting point and
  backdrop to parades, sporting events, ceremonies and too many cars.

  Planning and construction began in 1806, masterminded
  by successful French architect Jean Chalgrin.
The masterpiece took 30 years (two years just to "plant" the foundation)
  passing through a lot of different hands and political regimes.

  Conceived by Napoleon to honor those who had given their lives
during his many bloody battles, the emperor himself didn't live
to see its completion although his remains passed through
  its famous arched threshold in 1840.
  Engraved with the names of 558 generals who died in combat under
his command, the monument speaks volumes about the glory of the
  brave at the same time it reminds us of the tragic consequences of war.
  Artful reliefs decorating the exterior mark the emperor's many campaigns,
the most famous being the Departure of the Volunteers by Francois Rude.

Below the famous arch stands the moving Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,
a tribute to unidentified soldiers who gave their lives to France in WWI and WWII.
  On Armistice Day 1920, officials lit the first eternal flame in Europe
since the fires of the Vestal Virgins were extinguished in the 4th Century.
  In 1961, President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy visited,
paying tribute to a captivated and grateful France. 
Several years later, Mrs. Kennedy asked that an eternal flame be placed
next to her assassinated husband's grave, inspired by her visit to Paris.
  Look up and see the 21 sculpted roses on the arched ceiling,
a fitting tribute to the sorrows of war.

The viewing platform on top is fantastic.
  Look for La D
éfense and La Grande Arche to catch a whiff
of the historical perspective of the Axis Historique.
  Then turn and gaze in the opposite direction at the Louvre
and the alternate universe that makes up the axis of the past. 
An amazing transition.


From the platform, try to recall the iconic WWII photo of the patriotic Frenchman
as he tearfully watched the Nazis parade down his boulevard.
Then picture the joy of the Allies as they freed Paris from the chains of tyranny, parading past the preeminent monument dedicated to the glory of France.

On your way out, check out the exhibits featuring
the design and building of this tour de force.
Picture
Picture
Picture
La Grande Arche is tailored to a more contemporary Paris.
  Built on the outskirts of Paris, center-stage of the business quarter
dubbed La D
éfense, La Grande Arche is a new symbol for Paris,
one that stands more for its future than its past.
 
Puteaux, the suburb with the skyscraper horizon, hosts this far-fetched wonder where fresh ideas and progressive ideals promote the new face of France.
 
In 1982, the city of Paris launched a grand contest to build
a 20th century version of the Arc de Triomphe.
  Danish architect Johann Otto and Danish engineer Erik Reitzel bested
the challenge with a bold design and a peaceful theme.
  La Grande Arche, so different from Napoleon's triumphal victory arch,
was to be designed with humanitarian ideals in mind.
Make peace, not war.

  Building began in 1986 and finished by 1989. 
The cube shaped arch (large enough to hold Notre-Dame Cathedral!)
is composed of concrete, glass and marble.
  Views from the top provide a fantastic perspective on Paris staring straight
  into the heart of the Arc de Triomphe and much of Classic Paris that follows.

  The area surrounding the monument is worth a look as well.
  Huge multinational corporations call this home, presenting a tone
that's both artistic and capitalistic, an intriguing balance of
modern art mixed with the smell of money.

The history of La D
éfense began in the '60's when President de Gaulle
and city developers sought a new way to keep skyscrapers
from altering the distinctly Parisian roof-lines, hoping to
preserve the classic beauty of The City of Light.
Keeping standards high, their goal put forward a balance of brains and beauty. 
They succeeded in building a city of business, a French Manhattan.

Most of us seek out the historical side of Paris and its classic architecture. 
But taking a different view is not a bad thing to do.
  And I promise you this -- if the thought of taking time to see a
business district doesn't exactly inspire, at the very least
you'll be impressed with the symmetry that welcomes you
to what I call The Paris Hall of Fame.
From the top of La Grande Arche all the way to the Arc de Triomphe
and beyond, feast your eyes on consummate Paris and the Axis Historique.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Back to the Paris map. 
The walk from one arch to the other may not be the most exciting promenade
you've ever taken in Paris, but it surely suits any passionate traveler
determined to learn the city forwards and backwards.
 
The map shows a couple of interesting looking sights along the way,
including Place de la Porte Maillot, very near the Palais de Congress
  which hosts many big trade shows, concerts and events.
  Avenue Charles de Gaulle takes over with a nearby cemetery and theatre
but the big draw is La Grande Arche drawing closer and closer, its
towering palaces of steel and glass fronting a distinctly new Paris.

  My motto: Save the best for last.
  After viewing La Grande Arche and the contemporary plaza
and art installations, we plan to head to La Apog
é,
where 100 wines are available by the glass. 
I'm not sure if it's what Lewis & Clark or Marco Polo would have done,
but we world explorers need to quench a different type of thirst from time to time.
I believe the name La Apog
é comes from the same word apogee,
which means climax, culmination -- quite appropriate after our
brave adventure today, don't you think?

Keep it balanced.
  Walk a little, drink a little, walk a little, eat a little, walk a little, drink a little .....


Enjoy every breath you take in Paris!
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    AUTHOR
    MICHELLE MOGGIO

    Thanks for visiting  my blog!

    I've been experiencing the joys of Paris since the ripe old age of eleven.
    As a big fan of duck fat, raw oysters and bad French movies, my long career in advertising helped pave the way for drinking at lunch. When not living la vie en rose, my husband Gary and I live in Brentwood, TN, where we stay busy planning our next travel adventure and offering unsolicited advice to our daughter.

    Archives

    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014


    RSS Feed

    Click below to buy
    The Paris Effect 
    book today
    Enter your email address to receive blog updates -
    Subscribe Now
    Buy Now

    Categories

    All
    100th Blog
    20th Arrondissement
    Abbaye De Fontfroide
    Absinthe
    Academie De La Grande Chaumière
    Adrian Leeds
    Aix-en-Provence
    Albi
    Aligot
    Alsace
    Ambassade D'Auvergne
    Amboise
    American History
    American Revolution
    Amphitheatre
    Antibes
    Apartments
    Aperitif
    April In Paris
    Arc De Triomphe Du Carrousel
    Architecture
    Arena De Nimes
    Ariége
    Armenian Cathedral Of Paris
    Art
    Art Deco
    Artistic Paris
    Artlover
    Art Museum
    Art Nouveau
    Atonement Chapel
    Auray
    Avenue Foch
    Avenue Frochot
    Avignon
    Baccarat
    Baden-Baden
    Baguette
    Basque
    Bayeux Tapestry
    B&B
    Benjamin Franklin
    Bénodet
    Bercy Village
    Biarritz
    Biot
    Biot France
    Bistros
    Bonbons
    Books Set In France
    Boulangerie
    Brassaï
    Brittany
    Brittany American Cemetery
    Burgundy
    Cagnes-sur-Mer
    Cakes
    Canal Du Midi
    Candy
    Cap D'Antibes
    Caracalla Spa
    Caramels
    Catalan France
    Cathars
    Cathedral
    Cathedrale St-Just
    Cemetière De Passy
    Cemetière Saint-Vincent
    Chantilly
    Chapelle Expiatoire
    Chapelle Saint Vincent De Paul
    #Chapel Of Hospice Saint-Jean
    Charles Aznavour
    Charles Trenet
    Chartreuse Du Val-de-Benediction
    Chateau
    Chateau De Clisson
    Chateau De Foix
    Chateau De Fougeres
    Chateau De Malmaison
    Chateau Grimaldi
    Cheese
    Chinon
    Chocolate
    Choice Vs. Chance
    Christian Constant
    #Church Of Saint-Volusien
    Cimiez
    Cité Des Fleurs
    Cité De Trevise
    Claude Monet
    Clisson
    Cocktail
    Coco Chanel
    Cognac
    Cointreau
    Cole Porter
    Comedie-Francaise
    Cote D'Azur
    Coulon
    Cours Mirabeau
    Cours Saleya
    Coussin De Lyon
    Crêpes
    Dessert
    Dijon
    Dreams
    Duck-confit
    Eating In France
    Ecole Des Beaux-Arts
    Ed Clark
    Edith-piaf
    Eglise Notre Dame De Clisson
    Eglise Sainte-Trinité
    Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés
    Elsa Maxwell
    Entrevaux
    Environmental Challenges
    Eric Kayser
    Eugene Delacroix
    Fabergé Museum
    Falling For Paris
    Famous-faces
    Fashion History
    Fauchon
    Fernand Léger
    Fete De La Transhumance
    Fête De Vendanges
    Fish Specialties
    Foix
    Folies Bergère
    Fontainebleau
    Fontaine Du Palmier
    Food Markets
    Fougeres
    Fragrance
    France
    Francois-premier
    Free Museums
    French Atlantic Coast
    French Bread
    French Cuisine
    French Food
    French-food
    French History
    French-islands
    French Musee D'Art Moderne De La Ville De Paris
    French Music
    French Resistence
    French Revolution
    #FrenchRiviera
    French Riviera
    French Slave Trade
    Friedrichsbad Spa
    Fun Fair Museum
    Genevieve De Gaulle-Anthonioz
    Genièvre
    George Sand
    Germaine Tillion
    Germany
    Gertrude Stein
    Gordes
    Grand Mosque Of Paris
    Grand Palais
    Grasse
    Guerlain
    Gustave Moreau
    Harvest Festival
    Haut-de-Cagnes
    Healthy Travel
    Hediard
    Henri Le Roux
    Henri Matisse
    Holocaust
    Hometown Memories
    Hotel Belles Rives
    Hôtel De Soubise
    Hotel Dieu
    Hotels
    Ile De Bréhat
    Ile De Ré
    Isadora Duncan
    Jacques Genin
    Janet Flanner
    Jardin Samuel-de-Champlain
    Jay Z
    Jazz A Juan
    Jean Seberg
    Jewelry
    Josephine Baker
    Josephine Bonaparte
    Juan-les-Pins
    Keith Haring
    La Campagne A Paris
    La Couveroitade
    Lafayette
    La Jourrnée San Voiture
    Lalique
    Language Skills
    Languedoc
    La Rochelle
    La Verrerie De Biot
    Lavinia Wine Store
    Le Bonbon Au Palais
    Le Bon Georges
    Le Capitole
    Le Carrousel Des Mondes Marins
    Le Clos Lucé
    Le Cochon à L'Oreille
    Le Coq Rico
    Legendary Lovers
    Le Grand Véfour
    Le Musée Montmartre
    Leonardo Da Vinci
    Le Rostand
    Les Cocottes
    Les Fauves
    Les Invalides
    Les Machines De L'Ile
    Les Sept Iles
    Lichtentaler Allee
    Lille
    Little Gourmand
    Loire Atlantique
    Luberon
    Luxembourg Gardens
    Maison Carrée
    Malmaison
    Man Ray
    Marais Poitevin
    Marc Chagall
    Marché Beauvau
    Marché D'Aligre
    Marché President Wilson
    Marché Victor Hugo
    Marie Curie
    Market Street
    Marquis De Lafayette
    Matisse
    Maurice Utrillo
    Medieval Festival
    Medieval France
    Memorial De L'Abolition De L'Esclavage
    Memorial De La Shoah
    MFK Fisher
    Minervois Wine
    #ModernArt
    Monolithic Church
    Montmartre
    Montmartre Museum
    Montparnasse
    Montparnasse Cemetery
    Montpellier
    Movies Set In France
    Musee Carnavalet
    Musée De La Chasse Et De La Nature
    Musée Des Arts Decoritifs
    Musée Des Arts Forains
    Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Dijon
    Musee D'Orsay
    Musée D'Orsay
    Musee L'Orangerie
    Musée Marc Chagall
    Musee Marmottan Monet
    Musée Matisse Nice
    Musée Picasso
    Musée Yves Saint Laurent
    Museum
    Museum Of Decorative Arts
    Museum Of Hunting & Nature
    Museum Of Modern Art City Of Paris
    Nancy
    Nantes
    Napoleon Bonaparte
    Napoleon III Apartments
    Narbonne
    Nashville
    Natalie Portman
    Nazi Atrocities
    Nice
    Nice France
    Nimes
    Normandy
    Not-far-from-paris
    Not-far-from-paris
    Notre Dame De Lorette
    Notre Dame De Paris
    Occitanie
    #Occitanie
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Opera-garnier
    Operation Dragoon
    Oradoursurglane
    Our Lady Of Paris
    Palais Lascaris
    Palais Royal
    Paloma Beach
    Pancake
    Pancake Pantry
    Parade
    Parc De Bercy
    Paris
    Paris 1968
    Paris Arrondissements
    Paris Art Museum
    Paris Art Schools
    Paris At Home
    Paris Cafes
    Paris Fashion
    Paris Friend
    Paris Markets
    Paris Metro
    Paris Neighborhoods
    Paris Parks
    Paris Patisseries
    Paris Pets
    Paris Predestination
    Paris Retail Therapy
    Paris Travel
    Parks
    Passage Boudin
    Passerelle Simone De Beauvoir
    Pastis
    Patisserie
    Patricia Wells
    Paul Cezanne
    Perfume
    Pernes-les-Fontaines
    Pet Cemeteries
    Petit Palais
    Photography
    Picpus Cemetery
    Pinching Pennies
    Pink Granite Coast
    Place De Furstenberg
    Place De La Concorde
    Place Des Vosges
    Place Masséna
    Place Stanislaus
    Place Vendome
    Ploumanac'h
    Poilane
    Ponr Alexandre III
    Poster Art
    Promenade Des Anglais
    Provence
    #Provence
    Provence Markets
    Puffins
    Pyrenees-Orientales
    Rambouillet
    Raoul Dufy
    Regional Cooking
    Rennes
    Renoir
    Robert Doisneau
    Robert Wuhl
    Roquefort
    Rue Cler
    Rue Cremieux
    Rue De L'Eole Du Medecine
    Rue De Nil
    Rue Dénoyez
    Rue Des Ecoles
    Rue Des Martyrs
    Rue Irenee Blanc
    Rue Jules Siegfried
    Ruelle Des Chats
    Rue Montorgeuil
    Ruth
    Saintdenis
    Saint-Emilion
    Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
    Saint-Etienne-du-Mont
    Sainteustache
    Saint-Goustan
    Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert
    Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
    Saint-Malo
    Saint-Medard Church
    Saint-Paul-de-Mausole
    Saint-Remy-de-Provence
    Saint-Vincent Cemetery
    Sculpture
    Senlis
    Serendipity
    Shopping
    Sliceoflife
    Slice Of Life
    Small Paris Pleasures
    Small Town Saturday Night
    Social Media
    So-Pi
    Springtime In Paris
    Square Des Peupliers
    Square Montsouris
    St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral
    Street Food
    Suzanne Valadon
    Suzy Solidor
    Sylvia Beach
    Texas
    The Avignon Papacy
    The-dreyfus-affair
    The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
    The Louvre
    The Moose
    The National Archives
    The Pantheon
    The-paris-effect
    The Pink City
    Toulouse
    Toulouse-Lautrec
    Tourrettes-sur-Loup
    Travel
    Travel Advice
    Travel Planning
    Troyes
    U.N. World Climate Conference
    Urban Art
    Uzès
    Vacation
    Vacation Planning Food
    Vel D'Hiver
    Vichy
    Vieille Bourse
    Vieux Nice
    Villa Eilenroc
    Villefranche-de-Conflent
    Villeneuve-les-Avignon
    Vincent Van Gogh
    Walking
    Walking Paris
    Willi Ronis
    Wine
    Wine Festival
    WWII
    #WWII France
    WWII Paris
    WWII Provence
    Yachts
    Yves Saint Laurent

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.