Why Aren't Things Built to Last Anymore?

Where I grew up there was a nice big bridge that took you from one side of the Hudson River across to the other side.  I never gave any thought to who designed it, who built it, or how well it was built. I assumed, that like the Brooklyn Bridge, it would easily last 200 years and then some. And yet, I was wrong.  Recently a new bridge was christened to replace the 50 year old bridge that had become too dangerous to continue using. FIfty Years Old.  

It's easy to assume that with the passing of time and the increased advantages of tools, education, and technology, that we should be surpassing the skill set of our ancestors. Apparently not. 

Now if you're wondering why am I thinking about dilapidated bridges today, it's because I stood in a market square today staring up at a town center that was built - SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS ago - and is still in use.  It makes the brownstones of New York City look pretty recent lol. 

What actually got me thinking was looking up at the shutters while my friend was purchasing something in a store.  I love how the French actually use their shutters daily.  At night all the homes are closed in to protect from burglars, noise, and light.  At ten oclock this morning I was still sound asleep with no clue if the sun had risen or not. The perfect - and I mean perfect - black out curtain. 

I noticed the people on the left had probably not opened their shutters to keep the market noise out.  Today is a holiday of some sort in France and the market was bigger than usual and cram packed.   

Then I started looking at the building itself and wondering - how old is this.  I found the carving on the support beams fascinating. Though a little difficult to see from this photo - there were dogs, and lions and who knows what animal eroded over time.  Once I got home I looked up the city of Mirpoix.  Shocked was an understatement when I learned most of these center square buildings were built in the 1200 and 1300s.  Holy Cow!  And we modern engineers couldn't build one little old bridge to last more than fifty - insane. 

Construction skills aside - I did take a few photos that to me seemed terribly French.  A woman had come out of the butcher shop and was packing up her goods and her dog (in the rear basket) to go home.  A crowd had formed over a marionette street performer. I stopped for a photo outside the original city wall.  A fitting morning for my last week in France. 

The weather here is finally heating up in time for me to get ready to go home. I won't lie, I'm going to like sleeping in air conditioning again, but nothing else will be the same. 

​Are you ready for summer to end?