Bridge to nowhere

Thanks for all the hearts, stars and comments on yesterday's sunset -- my most popular blip for months. I'm definitely planning another trip to that spot.

In the meantime, despite appearances, and the name Pont del Rei, (King's bridge) -- this is not a bridge, it's a sluice gate used to control the flow of water in a drainage channel. It seems curious to build such an elaborate structure for this, and little seems to be known about it. Even its exact purpose is a subject of dispute. Some people say it's for regulating the flow of water to salt pans, while others say it was used to feed a canal basin and hence encourage the presence of fish. The additional weight of the stone structure was intended to prevent the flow of water distorting the gates.