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Arc de Triomphe
Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 as a memorial for the French Army
but was not completed until 1836. It is 165 feet high and one can
visit the observation deck at the summit of the arc from where there
is a brilliant view of Paris. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with
its eternal flame, rekindled every evening at 6:30 PM, lies under
the Arc. It is at the centre of 12 avenues and is known as the Etoile
(star).
Ternes
The western part of the 17th arrondissement stretches from the
Arc de Triompe, the ave. de Ternes, Place de Wagram and near Parc
Monceau. It boasts two of the great restaurants of Paris, Guy
Savoy and Michel Rostang.
Champs Elysees
The Champs Elysees was originally an extension of the Tuileries gardens
laid out in the 17th century by Le Notre. During the Second Empire,
from 1852, it became a focus for fashionable society and theatre,
for military parades and royal processions. It is on a direct line
from the Louvre, through the Tuileries Gardens, past the Place de
Concorde, up through gardens bordered by trees and azaleas. In these
gardens are two famous theatres, Theatre de Marigny and Theatre du
Rond-Point and exclusive restaurants with pretty garden terraces,
such as ëLedoyení and ëLaurentí. From the Rond-Point the Champs Elysee
runs uphill to the Arc de Triomphe. Here along its wide granite pavements
there are many fast food eateries, shopping arcades and cinemas but
it is still considered the most beautiful avenue in the world.
Continued...
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