Thursday, March 27, 2008

Help Needed: The Case of the Missing Bridge

Dear Blogging Friends and Cyberpals,
Please can you help me with a problem of curiosity? If you are a regulsr reader, you will know that we visited Bath on Sunday. On Pulteney Bridge is a sign which announces that it is one of four bridges in the world with shops across the full span on both sides. This tickled my interest. I know that another two are the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, and the Rialto Bridge in Venice Italy. Googling comes up with numerous reiterations of the "one of four" statement but none mentions which is the fourth. I wondered if it might be the Kremerbruecke in Erfurt, Germany, but that seems to have been lined with houses rather than shops, I think. London Bridge across the Thames, in a previous incarnation, had houses and shops across it, but those and that bridge are long gone. So which is this mysterious fourth bridge? Wikipaedia on the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge)says that shops on bridges was once common, so this suggests the fourth bridge either still exists or did when that notice was written. This site says the Pulteney Bridge is one of only two in Europe, which is patently mistaken. The evidence sort of suggests the fourth bridge is not in Europe. So where in the world is it? Please tell me if you know..... No prizes except the title of The Magic Armchair Traveller's Bridge Guru, and my gratitude!

1 comment:

JoWynn Johns said...

Hi, Sue. I have your blog on my RSS reader now, and I've just spent a half hour browsing your posts. Lovely photos and lovely artwork. I hope you are having a good day today.