Arc de Triomphe

I knew very little about the Arc de Triomphe before coming here, but it is one of the most famous monuments in Paris.

Commissioned in 1806 after the victory at Austerlitz by Napoleon, the monument honors those who fought and died for France namely in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars.

I nearly circled the entire monument before realizing that you had to go underground to get to it. It has to be seen up close to appreciate. Engraved on the inside and at the top of the arch are all of the names of the generals and wars fought. 

In front of me when taking t his photos lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. The Eternal Flame at the tomb has burned continuously since 1921, in memory of all who died in World War I. And I evidently didn't take a picture of it.

The four main sculptures around the arc commemorate a different moment in French military history. This one commemorates the French resistance to the Allied armies during the War of the Sixth Coalition.

This commemorates the Treaty of Paris, a peace treaty between France and Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia signed after the defeat of Napolean Bonaparte in 1815.

I walked around Paris for 12 hours this day, but I had to walk back for a night time shot.

Check another famous monument off my list.