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 Don't miss the ironically named pont Neuf ("New Bridge") at the tip of the island opposite from Notre-Dame. The span isn't new -- it's Paris's oldest bridge, begun in 1578 and finished in 1604. In its day it had two unique features: It was paved and it wasn't flanked with houses and shops. Actually, with 12 arches, it's not one bridge but two (they don't quite line up) -- one from the Right Bank to the island and the other from the Left Bank to the island. At the Musée Carnavalet, a painting called The Spectacle of Buffoons shows what the bridge was like between 1665 and 1669. Duels were fought on it, the nobility's great coaches crossed it, peddlers sold their wares, and entertainers like Tabarin went there to seek a few coins from the gawkers. As public facilities were lacking, the bridge also served as a de facto outhouse. |
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