Watered-down Wars

Today was the last day of our six-day museum pass and also the 65th anniversary of VE Day, so we thought visits to the Army Museum and the Arc de Triomphe would be appropriate. Steve was looking forward to showing me the display of the Battle of Verdun, featuring a lighted bas-relief map of the territory gained and lost, which he'd seen on a previous trip (I must have been doing laundry at the time). But when we entered the WWI section of the museum, there was no mention of Verdun, nor any mention of the total number of casualties. The WWII section focused on the Resistance and the Free French, with barely a mention of life in France during the German occupation. Of course WWII is an especially painful topic for the French, but it seemed as though the museum's curators wanted to sweep those memories under the rug. Also, we'd read that military parades usually take place on VE Day and were hoping to see something going on near the Arc de Triomphe, but this year there was no special ceremony. Maybe it's a good thing that France is moving beyond its painful past, but those mistakes could be repeated if historical facts are glossed over.

Beyond thoughts of war, we managed to squeeze in some fun touristy things:

• Eating lunch in the garden of the Rodin Museum
• Climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe
• Drinking kir at the Café de la Mairie--right next to our apartment