le Viaduc de Millau - the tallest bridge in the world

[Roscoe]

An incredible piece of engineering in southern France, built to last 120 years. Cost 394m Euro.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_Viaduct

I learnt about the bridge in a programme I watch called Impossible Engineering, Duke Saturday 1705. Well worth watching. Another great programme is Abandoned Engineering also on Duke at 1740 Friday.

[user]

It's even more impressive when you see it in Millau. It was one of the items on our bucket list of things to see last time we cycled in France. Although we couldn't cycle over it (it is a motorway), we were able to cycle up from the valley below to a visitor centre near the top. We also managed to get an iconic photo of it against a blue sky which highlights the white cabling.

[Roscoe]

That looks very interesting. Even at that distance it is impressive. What a pity you could not cycle over it. That would have been amazing.

And that reminds me. When we were in Paris a few years back we were trying to find our way on the Metro but no one would talk to us so we had to return to the ticket office where we knew that the girl behind the counter spoke English and we received directions from her. It seemed that the Parisians did not want to speak to us if we did not speak Française.

How did you get on? Could you speak the lingo or did you, like us, have to rely on an English speaking Frenchman?

But it was a different story in Germany. Almost everyone spoke English and were only too happy to talk to us.

[user]

After our first short 3 week visit, we learned that all you had to do was to attempt to speak French and then they would know you were an English speaker and had at least attempted their language. Most would speak back to us in English.
Small thing but I guess you would get annoyed at a tourist in NZ asking if you spoke their language as their first communication. You expect they should know the basic 'hello' etc of English if they were visiting this country.

[zqwerty]

I'm surprised the piers and pylons were not constructed completely out of steel, is concrete a lot cheaper than steel? I would have thought flexibility would be very important in this sort of construction.

[R2x1]

I'm surprised the piers and pylons were not constructed completely out of steel, is concrete a lot cheaper than steel? I would have thought flexibility would be very important in this sort of construction.

It's white, so it must be safe, if dodgy it would be orange.

[Agent_24]

But what happens when the 120 years is up?

[piroska]

Oh er....I couldn't handle the harbour bridge, that would scare the **** out of me.

[Roscoe]

Oh er....I couldn't handle the harbour bridge, that would scare the **** out of me.

I used to take a little old lady over the harbour bridge fairly regularly and she always told me to go up the middle on the main part of the bridge. She was not keen on travelling on the clipons.

[R2x1]

But what happens when the 120 years is up?

120 years is up, bridge is not up.
Sacre Bleu, kerplop.