What is the most unique bridge you have seen?
In Porto, the Dom Luís I Bridge is the main feature of the city as it is high above the Douro River. It connects the city of Porto with its southern neighbor Vila Nova de Gaia. The bridge has two decks, one carrying light rail and pedestrians, and the other for vehicle traffic.
We walked over the top deck for wonderful views of both cities. Being so high up, we could look down at all the other landmarks we visited. The best views were on the Gaia side as we could see all the way down the Douro River. This is a great spot for sunset photos as well since it faces west. As we headed back over the river for sunset, we found some street musicians under the bridge playing songs in English. We love seeing street musicians and when we like them enough; we have no problem tossing some money their way.
The city of Porto built the bridge to support the dramatic population growth in the late 1800s. They built it to look similar to the D. Maria Bridge that Gustave Eiffel engineered. His name sounds familiar to the Eiffel Tower in Paris because he is the same engineer, and one of his disciples administered the building of the Dom Luís I Bridge.
As with many other cities, bridges are one of the key characteristics that make it special. In Porto, going over this bridge was one major highlight of visiting the city.
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