In November of 2019, I attended a classical chamber ensemble performed by the Gewandhaus Woodwind Quintet. The evening was co-sponsored by several partners, including the Germanic-American Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota and Wunderbar Together (love this name), a Germany and American friendship organization. The German Consul General from Chicago emceed the event. After welcoming the audience, the Consul General spoke of his experience living in a divided East and West Germany. He spoke of the excitement of when the Berlin Wall came down and the resulting physical and symbolic bridging of Germany.
*The view from the Big River Crossing Bridge mid-point and the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge
I would like to visit the remains of the Berlin Wall and the historical landmark Great Wall of China. As intriguing as I find these walls, I recognize I tend to seek and enjoy bridges. One of my favorite bridges is the Big River Crossing between Tennessee and Arkansas over the Mississippi River. Another is the cable-stayed Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge that connects Iowa and Nebraska over the Missouri River. Included, of course, is the majestic, and colorful towers, of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
*The Lake-Marshall Bridge and Smith Avenue High Bridge.
Within the Twin Cities, numerous bridges cross the Mississippi River. In the summertime, I routinely walk, run, and bike across these bridges. Four of my local favorites are the Lake-Marshall Bridge, Ford Parkway Bridge, Smith Avenue High Bridge, and Stone Arch Bridge. Then there’s the gritty, skeletal trussed railroad bridge that crosses the Missouri River between Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota. It can be viewed from the Liberty Memorial Bridge or from the nearby bluffs. If you have an opportunity to be on these or similar bridges, take in the view.
