monument

ArchitectureParis

Inside the Arc de Triomphe in Paris

I've walked and drove past the Arc de Triomphe countless times, fearing for my life while traversing the roundabout by motorcycle. On June 18th, I took the walk up the famous arch, coincidentally on the 70th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle's BBC radio appeal marking the founding act of French resistance against the Nazi regime.
ArchitectureParis

Photos of La Defénse at Night in Paris

Before I went to visit La Defénse, it remained in my mind’s eye as a looming, monumental structure–an abstract, geometric form with no relationship with its external surroundings apart from its linear correlation with the Arc de Triomphe. I was inspired to take a trip there after seeing the photography of Ryan Southen. In a rarely seen perspective, Ryan captures the monumentality of the Grand Arch from below.