Amazing Bridge in France: the Millau Viaduct

I was checking MSNBC tonight when I saw a link to the "Worlds Most Amazing Bridges." OK, fair enough, I thought. It turned out to be an awesome collection of bridges, selected for a variety of qualities. One of the bridges stood out for its raw dimensions, however: The Millau Viaduct near Millau France (southern France, near Spain). Image by facemepls at Flickr (creative commons) Check out the dimensions:

This breathtaking cable-stayed bridge, completed in 2004, is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world. It spans the valley of the Tarn River near Millau in France, with a total length of 8,071 feet. Its maximum height soars to 1,130 feet. This colossus was engineered by Michel Virlogeux and designed by Norman Foster. At 890 feet, its road bridge deck is the highest in the world; drivers have said it feels like sailing through a cloud.

arch-at-sunset To put this incredible bridge in perspective, we have a spectacular monument in St. Louis. Our 630 foot tall Gateway Arch is often described as even "soaring." See insert. Now consider that the road deck of the Millau Viaduct is 260 feet taller than the Gateway Arch and that it runs for more than 1 1/2 miles. Consider, too, that the tallest towers of the bridge (1,130 feet) are taller than the Eiffel Tower (986 ft) and almost as tall as the Empire State Building (1250 feet). millau-viaduct-phillipc For more spectacular views, check out the website of the architechts, Foster + Partners, where you'll learn that the For more spectacular views, check out the website of the architechts, Foster + Partners, where you'll learn that the Millau Viaduct "connects the motorway networks of France and Spain, opening up a direct route from Paris to Barcelona. The bridge crosses the River Tarn, which runs through a spectacular gorge between two high plateaux."

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Institutions of Saint Louis – a little photo safari.

Because I have a tiny new camera (a Canon SD1100IS), I have lots of excuses for taking photos of familiar things.   It’s amazing how taking photos forces me to see.   It makes me appreciate many of those sights that I otherwise take for granted.  With this new little camera, then, I had an excuse to go see.  

BTW-my new camera, a Canon SD1100IS is a small moderately-priced consumer-level camera that is incredibly packed with features.  It has so many features that I would bet that I’ll never use half of them.  It’s an 8-megapixel, 3x optical zoom camera that measures only 3 1/2″ x 2″, small enough to take everywhere.  Some of its features (including image stabilization) allow it to handle existing light photos fairly well (for those of you who haven’t yet sworn off cheap flash units, you might want to consider turning off your flash and noticing the difference).   The problem with turning off the flash indoors is that many digital cameras do not offer a fast enough ISO to allow for a sharp image.

I admit that I processed these photos a bit, but only a bit.  The only processing I used were a few of the features offered by Picasa, a well-designed (and free) photo organizing program from Google.

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Here’s a good way to start a weekend day in St. Louis.  It’s called “City Diner” (It was formerly “South City Diner”).  Located within walking distance of my home, this is where you must …

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