Veteran's Day in Paris

After Heinrich finished his exploration of Verdun, he had the chance to travel to Paris. Paris is the capitol of France and has many famous sites and monuments. When Heinrich got to Paris he rode the Metro or subway system into the middle of Paris. He is able to see the Arch de Triomphe but is a long way up the famous road called the Champs Elysee.

When Heinrich gets to the station at the Arch de Triomphe it was very crowded. When he climbed up out of the Metro station he found himself in the middle of a large group of people. It seems that Heinrich was visiting Paris on November 11 just before 11:00. It was the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. It is the time that French people celebrate Armistice Day the end of World War I. Heinrich was right in the middle of the the French Veteran's Day ceremonies.

There were police and soldiers lining the major road. The first in the procession were the Horse Guard accompanied by motorcycle Police and security.

Following the Horse guard is the Presidential Car. The President of France drove by and was waving out of the window. When he passed Heinrich he waved right at him. Heinrich was pretty impressed.

There was an impressive ceremony to celebrate the end of a war that had ended 84 year before. The President and several government officials laid wreaths at a World War I memorial.

After the ceremony was over, Heinrich had his picture taken at the Arch de Triomphe. The huge flag in the middle was very pretty and when the wind filled it it would wave through the entire center. Heinrich was very lucky to get to the center of the ceremony at exactly the perfect time.