We spent time with three bridges today: one fairly new (2004 AD); one fairly old (50 AD); and one somewhere in between (1171 AD).
We were up at 7 again and on the road well before eight. Looking out the window we noticed people setting up for a market on the Square Gambetta across the road. Lots of fabrics were being put out on tables. It would have been interesting but it looked as if it would be a while before they were ready and we couldn’t wait.
Stopped for breakfast (Croissant and coffee) at a roadside service centre and then on to our first bridge the Viaduc du Millau. The viaduct is a cable-stayed road bridge (2,460 m long and 32 m wide) that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau. Designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest bridge in the world, with one mast's summit at 343 m. Its deck is the 12th highest in the world, at 270 metres. It was formally dedicated in December 2004 and received the 2006 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award. Jill had threatened to get out and walk but as it was four lanes wide she found it not as scary as she had feared. It’s quite a bridge!!
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| Viaduc du Millau |
Drove into Millau where the views of the bridge from the floor of the valley were spectacular. Called into a supermarket and stocked up on lunch things – rice cakes, sheep cheese, tomato, salami & rocket. Trying not to eat too much gluten in France is quite a challenge. Their breads are so yummy and we do regularly succumb (breaky this morning is a case in point).
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| The viaduct from Millau |
From Millau it was on to bridge number two, Pont du Gard, near Remoulins. The Pont du Gard is an amazing ancient Roman aqueduct bridge that crosses the Gard River built around 50 AD. It is part of a 50 km long aqueduct that runs between Uzès and Nîmes in the South of France. It is the highest of all Roman aqueduct bridges and is the best preserved after the Aqueduct of Segovia.
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| Pont du Gard |
There are great views of the bridge from the river below and the river is also a very popular spot for cooling off - even more so today when the weather has been quite hot. There were lots of people swimming and canoeing.
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| from the River Guard |
On to Avignon where we had booked a room for the night. After a bit of a rest we walked into the city where we met up with bridge number 3, The Pont Saint-Bénezet, also known as the Pont d'Avignon The bridge originally spanned the Rhône River between Avignon and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon on the left bank. It was built between 1171 and 1185, with an original length of some 900 m but it suffered frequent collapses during floods and had to be reconstructed several times. Over the centuries, it became increasingly perilous as arches collapsed and were replaced by rickety wooden sections. The bridge was finally put out of use by a catastrophic flood in 1668 and only four of the initial 22 arches remain intact today.
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| Pont Saint-Benezet |
The bridge and Avignon have achieved worldwide fame through its commemoration by the song "Sur le pont d'Avignon" ("On the bridge of Avignon"), which many of us learnt at school as one of those token contributions to appreciating French music.
Sur le pont d'Avignon, L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon, L'on y danse tous en rond
Avignon itself is a lovely spot. The main city area is completely encircled by a 4330 m medieval wall (built in the 13th and 14th Century) and of the 95,000 inhabitants of the city, 12 000 actually live in the ancient town centre surrounded by this wall. The city also has quite a history with the Roman Catholic church and is often referred to as the City of the Popes or Altera Roma. Frome 1305 to 1403, 9 popes ruled the Roman Catholic world from Avignon and the city retains the indelible mark of the Popes’ stay in the city – Palais des Papes being one example.
We had dinner in the centre of the city at Place l’ Horloge which is one huge alfresco eating area. The fact that we had a shower of rain didn’t deter as we were all under huge umbrellas.
