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Published: June 13th 2008
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Landscape
The landscape began to develop peaks and rises as we headed towards Millau. Saturday 17th May
It had rained quite a bit overnight but it had reduced to a drizzle as we set off.
Straight off the terrain was different. The road was far more winding than it had been the previous day and it kept rising into the low hills and mountains. The countryside had less crops and more hedges than what we had been travelling through. The drive was not particularly relaxing with the meandering road and numerous trucks to pass; but the clouds lifted and the day brightened although the air remained hazy.
And then 28 kms from Millau we could already see it - the Millau Viaduct, the highest bridge in the world. I had planned much of our tour of France so that we could see what must be one of the 7 modern wonders of the world.
We were all very excited and Marion stopped the car a couple of times as we got closer to Millau to allow snaps to be taken. (This was much better than cathedrals!!!!)
When we got to Millau we unloaded all our baggage and went down to the a small bridge that we had crossed on the
Millau Viaduct
Our first view of the breathtaking Millau Viaduct, 28 km away. way to the hotel that gave a great view of the viaduct.
For those of you who have never heard of the viaduct, or only have notions about it, a little explanation would be in order. For many years there was a massive gap in the motorway web in France. If you wanted to travel from Paris to Montpellier, or from Paris to Barcelona, you were forced to leave the motorway and travel through the tiny streets of Millau as this was the only way to cross the Tarn River Valley.
Designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster and "realised" by French engineer Michael Virlogeux, the Millau viaduct (I assume this is what the French call a bridge) connects the previously separated sections of the A75 motorway. Apart from being the tallest bridge in the world, it is a beautiful and elegant structure.
The cable-stayed bridge consists of 7 white slender triangle-shaped pylons that reach from the ground to about 100m above the bridge surface. From each pylon are strung 22 white sheaths (11 on each side) that connect to the middle line (median strip) of the bridge deck supporting it. The sheaths contained massive braided cables
Viaduct
The stunning Millau Viaduct, seen from a bridge near our hotel. with huge breaking strains.
The highest pier (ground to road bed) is 245m (making the tallest pylon 343m, taller than the Eiffel tower), the deck height of the road above the Tarn river is 270m and its total length is 2,460m. Each pier has a truncated diamond shape until splitting into a slender fork over the last 90 metres; the separation of the two sections of the fork, match the separation of the above the bed section of the pylon. It is built in a gentle curve which accentuates the beauty of the structure when viewed from above or below.
It was completed at the end of 2004, cost 400 million Euros, contains 36,000 tons of metal and 205,000 tons of concrete. It is a true engineering success but its true achievement is that the technical solution employed is attractive, stylish and graceful. And it does not detract from the landscape around it.
Anyway, our entire family has been entranced by the bridge since seeing a doco about it a couple of years ago. The real thing did not disappoint.
Unable to constrain ourselves we drove up to one of the bridge viewing areas and took
View Point
The Millau Viaduct, seen from a viewing area at one end of the structure. some pictures and bought some souvenirs even though we were booked on a bridge tour tomorrow.
We actually drove over the bridge (and payed the toll) on our way to La Cavalerie. La Cavalerie is a small town on the Larzac plain that was settled by the Templars after they had been expelled from the Holy Land.
It is an interesting site and the audio-guide gave some good background into the fortified town that the Templars had built there.
The site has been restored in recent years as France has rediscovered some of its history but the town is now a strange mish-mash of old, old & restored and renovated. Some people still reside within what would've been the Templars fortified walls and many have updated their houses; rendering and painting the stone and adding glassed-in sundecks.
Other parts of the town appear similar to the way they may have looked back in the 12th century when the Templars began building the town. Few of the original structures remain. Many, such as the church, were modified in the 1600's. The oldest inhabited houses in the town appeared to date from the 17th Century. All in all
Viaduct
The Millau Viaduct, as seen when crossing over. A photo from the car's perspective! it was a very interesting insight into life in the darkest portion of the middle ages.
We returned over the viaduct, again marvelling at it, back to Millau looking forward to our tour tomorrow.
We decided to look at a DVD we had purchased from the Viaduct site. It was damn awful. Apart from a commentary which would make a 5-year old wince from being spoken down to, it doubled as a promotion of the forward-thinking and technological abilities of the French.
If you are thinking of going to Millau, or are just interested in the bridge, ask us and we can give you a copy of a brilliant documentary - but we won't waste your time with the "official" DVD!
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