Many people nowadays have a driver's license, but when they are traveling to a foreign country, most decided to avoid driving in unfamiliar surroundings.
Paris is one of the most beautiful city in the world, with its grand avenues and magnificent architecture. However, when it somes to driving, most tourist would probably prefer leaving the driving to others.
Avenue des Champs-Élysées, it is the most prestigious avenue in Paris, and one of the most famous streets in the world.
Champs-Élysées is one of the twelve avenues radiating from the Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly the Place de l'Étoile) in the west, location of the Arc de Triomphe.
This picture is taken abut halfway between the Place de la Concorde in the east, with its obelisk, to the Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly the Place de l'Étoile) in the west, location of the Arc de Triomphe.
The Arc de Triomphe at dusk. Notice the traffic running behind Liz and Alex, with 12 avenues all meeting at the Arc de Triomphe, there is a world-famous traffic circle at the confluence of the avenues that is probably one of the reasons many people avoid driving in Paris.
Huey was in Paris on business a year or two ago, and decided to give the traffic circle a try. He had a great time driving the manual transmission cars popular in Europe, and recorded the following video while driving 720-degrees around the Arc de Triomphe TWICE.
Huey was holding his camera in one hand, driving with the other hand while taking the video. We do not recommend this techinque to anyone, and suggest that you should following all traffic law for your safety.
Click anywhere on the rectangle above, and play the video. Huey took this video while driving by himself inside the traffic circle. The rising sun to the east is the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Join Huey as he drove around the traffic circle twice and weaving his way through. The two complete circles took about two and a half minutes, and should give you a good ideas of what it felt like driving inside one of the 'infamous' traffic circles.
After the two trips around the Arc de Triomphe, Huey turned back onto the Champs-Élysées with a big smile on his face, and a deeper appreciation of the Parisian drivers whom have to navigate this traffic circle on a regular basis.
