Notre Aventure Française, 2013: 13th November, Paris Day 5

The Avenue des Champs Elysée and the Arc de Triomphe are another two iconic Paris landmarks that everybody recognizes instantly. They are in the same category as the Louvre, Sacre Cour, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the Opéra are. They both attract crowds but, they also attract cars, buses, trucks, scooters, pushbikes and rickshaw type conveyances - thousands of them which are all fitted with a louder horn than the others.
The amazing thing is that there are no lane markers either on the Avenue or the roundabout around the Arc. The only traffic controls I could find were traffic lights on the pedestrian crossings. It appears that every driver of whatever type or size vehicle is trying to drive in the "lane" that somebody else is occupying and the use of the horn is very important in achieving this. However, the French drivers are very good at navigating in these circumstances and are able to squeeze into the narrowest and smallest of spaces, without the slightest touch to another vehicle, no matter what size of vehicles. I understand that there is no right or wrong at the Arc de Triomphe and in a crash situation both drivers are considered equally at fault.
This driving technique is not restricted to the Champs Elysée or the Arc de Triomphe and can be seen in operation right throughout Paris.

The Champs Elysée though is full of expensive looking shops, restaurants, apartments, hotels and expensively dressed and groomed people doing their thing - mainly walking up and down and looking at the other expensively dressed and groomed people.

The parks on both sides along the Eastern half of the Champs Elysée from the Place de la Concorde, are being converted into what will be a big Christmas Market with the erection of fairly impressive looking white structures. It will start this Friday and run until 4th January. It is big and I am sure will be quite attractive, as only the French can do, when up and running.