Twenty-six Paris Bridges: Wegener paid considerable attention to the distribution of fossils. When his theory was first put forward, palaeontologists were still postulating land bridges to account for the distribution of some plants and animals in the fossil record. In many cases the land bridges would have to have covered an area equal to that of the continents they joined. It was long assumed that the land bridges disappeared by subsidence.
The twenty-six Paris bridges across the Seine, a river that is just the right width to inspire a gifted "pontifex," are a notable family in their own right, several of them being artistic masterpieces, and one may find endless stimulation in weaving a shuttle's path over and back or in taking one of the small summertime river steamers, called Bateaux Mouches, for a fascinating ride under them. The name means fly-boats and has reference to their swift darting along and across the river for various landings. They are double-decker boats of considerable water charm, and guides chatter informatively about what is seen from the decks. The newest of the Mouches, called the Parisien, has air-conditioning, which makes a meal in the ship's dining room pleasant. Don't miss the Bateaux Mouches.
Bridges have played a vital role in the city's development. Before the end of the classical period the following bridges had already been constructed: Ponte Rotto (Pons Aemilius) now the oldest bridge, was built in 181 B.C. ; Ponte Fabricio, built in 62 B.C., is the oldest intact bridge; Ponte Sant'Angelo (originally built by Hadrian as Pons Aelius), links Vatican Citv with Rome; Ponte Milvio (built 220 B.C.; rebuilt 109 B.C.), carried all the traffic of the Flaminian and Cassian highways along the middle and upper Tiber. In Rome today there are 20 road bridges across the Tiber.
|
|
Photography
