More of Paris

Happy April, everyone! As I am writing this, it is April Fool's Day. I told my students here in England that the date was March 32nd and that April had been put off for another day. They said they didn't believe me, but some of them actually wrote "3/32/2011" on their homework!

Anyway, about Paris. There is a very famous street in Paris called Champs Elysses, which is pronounced "Shawnz a-lee-say." It has lots of very fancy shops and apartments on it--some of which the rent is equal to $1.5 million per year!

This is a shop on this street--a Louis Vuitton shop, which is famous for its very pricey luggage and purses. We did not go in...none of us could afford anything!

At the end of Champs Elysses is another famous Parisian landmark, the Arc de Triomphe.  This is a view of the Arc from farther down the Champs Elysses.

This monument was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 to honor all those who had died fighting in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. One thing you will learn about Paris is that Napoleon built things everywhere. You can barely go down a single street without there being something built by Napoleon or designed by Napoleon or about Napoleon. He really wanted people to remember him.

This monument has the names of all French victories and generals from those two wars engraved on it. We were not able to get off of the bus to go to the top, but we did drive all the way around it, as it sits in a "roundabout" in the middle of the road. Here in Europe, they have lots of roundabouts instead of stoplights. You just keep driving down the street, around the circle, and then pull into the street you're looking for.

The flowers you can see line the Tomb.

In the middle of the monument (you can't really see it, but this was the best picture I could take) is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. There is an eternal flame over it.

I hope your weekend is lovely. I'll post more about Paris next week!