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3256 - Paris, France

This card is from a Ukrainian refugee who is now living in Paris. She even mentions she has friends who have settled in my own home province of Alberta. 

Her card is a painting of Pont Alexandre III, with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine. It is considered the most ornate, extravagant bridge in Paris. In 1975, it was declared as a French monument historique. 

The bridge itself was built between 1896 and 1900. It was named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. Tsar Nicholas II laid the foundation stone in 1896. It is 160 meters long, and 40 meters wide. The architects of the bridge designed it in a way as to not obscure the view of the Champs-Élysées or the 
Invalides.

There are several sculptures featured prominently on the bridge. 

The Fames are four gilt-bronze statues, supported on 17 meter masonry socles that provide stabilizing counterweight for the arch.

The Nymphs are at the centre of the bridge and are memorials to the Franco-Russian Alliance.

The bridge is just as famous at the Eiffel Tower and has been featured in numerous movies and television shows. 


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