People like us living in Paris usually never visit the Eiffel tower . I am in the lot, too many people there . Maybe on a winter weekday I would try to climb the old lady . But this was not the only work of Gustave Eiffel , who was a prolific engineer/builder . And happilly, while in the Bordeaux region, we found by luck another Eiffel wonder .
Driving back to Bordeaux after a day trip in the Cotes de Bourg area, east of the Gironde river and north of the Dordogne river, , we had a brief glimpse of the bridge on the right , shortly before crossing the Dordogne ( on this very bridge ) . We took a side road and quickly found ourselves along the river with the bridge a few hundreds meters away on the left . And nobody around... As I got closer, walking along the bank, the majesty of the contruction was even more striking .
I walked there alone first , B. staying in the car . Great view on the bridge , wich was built in 1883 ( The Eiffel tower was built in 1887-1889 ) and used very imaginative techniques to progress through the river . The 7 metallic twin piers have such a great design , they have a sort of science fiction flavor . Two of the piers ( N° 6 & 7 ) were damaged during WW2 and were rebuilt in 1944-47 . The metal bridge was also restored and paint-coated a few years ago .
The bridge shows barely his age . This pic shows where the metal part of the bridge meets the stone part , a sort of viaduct designed to keep the road at a comfortable distance from possible high waters, and also for the smooth transition of the road traffic coming from the hills on this side of the river . The alliance of stone and metal is close to our modern steel and concrete combinations .
This bridge is one of two bridges built by Gustave Eiffel around here . The railway bridge nearby ( no picture here ) is also his work . From afar it seems less impressive , except a sudden change of the upper level at mid-course . What is remarkable is that both are still in use in 2005...
After looking around , I went back to the car and told B. about how great the place was there . She came along and we took advantage of the horizontal summer evening light . This picture shows the viaduct side from under . Looks like a cathedral . So high and narrow .
This old rusty plaque says a lot about different times and conditions : "Forbidden ( enforced with fines ) to bring cattle and carts on the viaduct tracks and on the bank piers " . I imagine the local people and peasants trying to sneak their cows and goods on the bridge to avoid a lengthy detour or the barge costs...
This is what the unsuspecting traveller sees when driving on the bridge : An ordinary "departementale" road on a quite ordinary metal bridge . I am sure most people living around here and taking the bridge on a daily basis never venture on the river banks to admire its beauty . What can I reproach them , I never go to the Eiffel tower myself...
Exact location of this Eiffel wonder : Cubzac Les Ponts ; 20 km north-east of Bordeaux , Road D669 , right bank of the Dordogne river .
