Sir Norman Foster, architect of the Millau Bridge, said that it was designed to have “the delicacy of a butterfly.” And so it has, particularly when emerging from the morning mist, a perfect combination of strength and subtlety. Seven slender piers support the road bridge, soaring up to align with seven graceful steel pylons. Rising to 1,125 ft (345 m) at its highest point, this is the world’s tallest road bridge. It was built with practicality in mind, to ease traffic and shorten the journey to the Mediterranean, but it could stand simply as a beautiful piece of engineering.