Champs-Elysees - Day 9We began our walk down the the Champs-Elysees, the world’s most famous avenue, after a considerable time enjoying the Arc de Triomphe.
The following photo shows the plaque marking Thomas Jefferson’s residence at 92 Champs-Elysees when he was U.S. Foreign Minister to France from 1785 – 1789 and recognizing him as President of the U.S. 1801-1809. The bottom plaque recognizes Robert Birlinger, corporal in a Parisian regiment, who died in the liberation of Paris in 1944.
The next photo shows Promod, one of the many shops on the Champs- Elysees. It happens to be where my wife spent an hour and a half buying clothes while I sat on a bench and people-watched.
The next photo shows a statue of Charles de Gaulle in poor lighting.
During World War II, Charles de Gaulle led the Free French government-in-exile and was an anti-Nazi guerrilla leader. After France was liberated from German occupation, he was head of the French provisional government from 1944 to 1946. Called to form a government in 1958, he inspired a new constitution and was the first president of France’s Fifth Republic from 1958 to 1969. For details of Charles de Gaulle’s life, click de Gaulle. The next photo shows a status of Georges Clemenceau on the Champs-Elsees. Clemenceau was France’s prime minister from 1907 to 1910. For information about Georges Clemenceau, click Clemenceau.
We saw several surprising fiberglass statues of cows while in Paris. The cow in the next photo was on the Champs-Elysees. The French Ministry of Culture installed 110 fiberglass cows, in various poses and colors, in Paris for the period April 10 to June 16 with collaboration of 3,000 artists. The exhibition will culminate in an auction to raise money for the Africa Alive Foundation, which fights malnutrition and AIDS in Africa.
Between the exciting commercial stretch of the Champs-Elysees, with its huge sidewalks, and the Place de la Concorde, is a peaceful tree-lined noncommercial section shown in the next photo. We enjoyed sitting on a bench (not shown) and appreciating the tranquility of the scenery.
The next photo shows the Obelisk of Luxor in the center of the Place de la Concorde where King Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and over 1,300 others were beheaded during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. The obelisk, a pink granite monolith given to France in 1829 by the viceroy of Egypt, is over 3,000 years old. It stands 75 feet (22.83 meters ) tall and weighs 230 tons.
Hieroglyphics on the obelisk, some of which are shown in the upper part of the next photo, depict the reign of pharaoh Ramses III. Gilded images on the pedestal, the primary focus of the next photo, depict the monumental undertaking of transporting the monolith to Paris and erecting it.
The obelisk is flanked by two fountains constructed during the period when the obelisk was installed. One of the fountains is shown in the next photo.
For history and details about the Place de la Concorde, click Place de la Concorde.
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