Day 39 Millau Viaduct

Millau Viaduct and floods back at the ranch

Today was Barb's day off and John and Susan went to see the Millau Viaduct. In truth Barb was most unenthusiastic about the vertiginous heights she knew we'd see!

The viaduct

Before we were even half way there John's phone rang several times and several text messages arrived. Poor Barb! There was a flood on the balcony and a woman from downstairs had banged on our door furiously and berated Barb because she too was flooding. Barb's French is not quite up to slanging matches yet and the situation was more awkward because no one answered the emergency number we'd been given.

Eventually order was restored The culprit was a tenant one or two floors further up who'd been washing his balcony and letting it drain onto everyone else. Neat. Quel domage! C'est la vie!

Meanwhile, as Barb's day was thrown into chaos, the two other Rosses were having a lovely drive up to Millau. Susan made headway in training John not to drive her side into the gutter.

The viaduct really is stunning. At its highest point it's 336 metres above the valley floor, and it manages to look just right. Barb need not have been worried about the edges - the designers have made it very difficult to fall over side and going over the viaduct it's not possible to look straight down.

More of the same - we didn't go down into the valley for a view looking up. Sorry!

We had a bite to eat at the really well presented Visitor Centre, and while Susan was taking in her English breakfast tea, not always easy to find, John walked a few hundred yards up the path to a view point. There he got into conversation with a very pleasant French chap, and between them they thought we might escape the toll fee as we were simply turning round to go back to Montpellier.

The village of Millau down in the valley
Before the viaduct all traffic came this way

No! The exits from the viewing site channel you into paying toll fees whichever way you're going. Bother!

The Visitor Centre. Very nice but they channel you into paying the toll!

This video might take some time to load. There's quite a lot of wind noise:

A windswept and smiling Susan with John

Lunch with big sis Susan at Millau Viaduct Information centre

Barb had regained her equanimity after her thoroughly awful morning dealing with the balcony flooding crisis (instead of going out for a pleasant shopping expedition in town as she'd planned). She used her time well, getting into Gold Medal position on Duolingo this week. WooHoo!