Pont Neuf deserves a lingering visit and as I progressed towards it, I traversed five other bridges all passing over the island and all revealing vibrant commercial and tourist life in Paris. This really was the heart of the City as it lay protected under its wing of centuries old history and architecture.
The Pont Neuf connects the tip of the Ile de la Cité with each bank of the Seine. It forms a crossing point between the Institute de France and the very commercial Forum des Halles retail centre. These places really do compliment each other. They symbolise the different character and style of the left and right banks of the river.
Pont Neuf translates as New Bridge but it is, strangely, the oldest still standing river bridge in Paris. The present version was constructed in 1578 and King Henry 111 laid the first stone. If it has a stony consciousness, it would recall so much of Paris history from the past centuries. It was the site of the public execution of a certain Jacques de Molay in March 1314. He made the grave mistake of retracting his criminal confessions to prove his innocence.
I continued along the left bank just beyond the tip of the Ile to take a look at the Pont des Arts. This is a foot bridge that certainly symbolises the romantic perception of Paris. Young and older couples alike have for decades been attaching padlocks to the bridge sides with their names painted on them. They throw the key into the Seine to confirm their eternal love for each other. The chain link fence along the edge of the bridge now is almost completely covered with such symbols to the point where part the bridge structure has partially collapsed under the weight. The Paris authorities have had to forbid
this practice to save the bridge. I crossed again to the right bank and headed towards the Pont de la Concorde, photographing three other bridges along the way. The magnificent Musée de Louvre and the Tuileries were to my right; the rather less royal Musée de Orsay and the Assemblée Nationale (French Parliament) were on my left, on the edge of the other bank.