Forward… Across the Bridge

Posted on February 23, 2013 by The Retiring Sort

Millennium Bridge

Bridges – Their whole purpose is to connect things – to carry us safely from on place to another.

One of the lovely things about many cities is that their rivers run right through them. And it seems to me that the older the city, the more likely it is to have pedestrian paths on the bridges, that allow us to walk from one section of the city to another, and even to linger mid-river with views of both sides.

London has several bridges like this, including the new Millennium Bridge leading from St. Paul’s in the City to the London Eye, and the Westminster Bridge, leading back to Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey.

And there are many others, including London Bridge, which has been replaced several times, and the Tower Bridge, which is both elegant and colorful. Boat tours can take you under all of the bridges in London, and stop near several of them.

Blue – Tower Bridge and Blue Skies over London

Portion of the Seine, from the Eiffel ower

Portion of the Seine, from the Eiffel Tower

Of course, the same is true of Paris, where boat tours allow you to see the detail on each bridge, and walking the bridges can take you to some marvelous views of the city.

Edinburgh is home to the legendary Forth Bridge, spanning a bay (the Firth of Forth). This bridge is a testimony to Scottish inventiveness and skill.

It’s over 120 years old and is still the longest single-span cantilever bridge in the world. It leads north to Fife and the Highlands.

The Forth bridge is a railway carrier. The Highlands have rail traffic that you often barely see. Every now and then, a bridge through the hills will be visible – calling to mind old steam engines – maybe even the Hogwarts Express…

Me and the Golden Gate Bridge, from Fort Point

Back in the USA, there are also many famous bridges. One of the most recognizable is the Golden Gate Bridge, spanning San Francisco Bay between the city and Marin County to the North. It’s been photographed from every angle, and in all kinds of weather.

Sometimes it almost disappears into the fog, giving it a mysterious and eerie quality. Other times it’s brightly lit and dazzling, or at dusk, a ghostly silhouette.

San Francisco-aOakland By Bridge from a pier near Fisherman's Wharf

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, just visible from a pier near Fisherman’s Wharf

In fact, The Golden Gate is so captivating that we often forget there’s another Bay Bridge here – the one to Oakland and the East Bay. It gets little respect from tourists, although the two bridges are very close in age, and are both very important to the city.

But then, all bridges are important, because they serve to bring us new people and goods, to lead us on to fascinating places beyond our immediate surroundings.

To connect us. To move us forward.

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This post is in response to two weekly challenges:

The WordPress Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge on the topic of Forward.
The weekly Travel Theme challenge by Ailsa of WheresMyBackpack, on the subject of Bridges.

To see other bloggers’ responses and get more info on these challenges, click on the links above.