Pont Neuf, despite all

“No matter how much time you are planning on spending in the city, let me tell you – it’s not nearly enough. Where ever you turn, expecting the Eiffel Tower or any other of the things to see in Paris to appear before you, you will come across yet another important building or a historic sight. This is where the skill of a Japanese tourist might come in handy – you come, see, snap-snap, and move on, there’s not enough time.”

We all know about the famous things to see in Paris, right, so I am not going to list them. Let me just share an interesting conclusion that I have drawn out of the historical anecdotes regarding a few popular locations.

For example, a lot of us have enjoyed a nice cruise along the Seine River by the so-called bateau mush. So, do you know the story behind the Pont Neuf (the New Bridge) that you go by while cruising?

Here is how it goes.

It is actually the oldest standing bridge on the river despite the name, and it was built by Henry IV who ordered that it should be decorated by the so-called mascarons of his ministers and advisers. They were against the construction, saying “it will not hold”.

After long and serious arguments, Henry IV ordered their faces to be carved in stone and put on the bridge “for future generations to laugh at, since the bridge is going to last”. And so it did.