expat blogger

living in Serbia

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Bridges of Maryland

I went home last week to Pennsylvania. I am always happy to see the many bridges and old farms along the way that stretch over so much land. Living part time in Serbia make me appreciate all the  big and little things about my homeland.
I always enjoy the ride and the view along the way. Travel is my drug of choice.
There are many cool bridges between my home in Maryland and my childhood home in Pennsylvania, and I love how they look straddling land or water. This golden bridge stretches across Rt. 70 somewhere in the Appalachian mountains in north western Maryland.

The longest bridge I cross on my trip is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
There are actually 2 bridges, one is for eastbound traffic and the other for those headed west. Before 1952, a ferry was needed to get from one side to the other.

The cost to cross this 4.3 miles or 6.9 km bridge is $2.50 to cross the east bound bridge, but going west is no charge. This is a bargain when comparing the rates to those in NY. So many bridges there and so Many Tolls!

Last June, while crossing, I got to see a cruise ship passing beneath on it's way from Baltimore. I bet the view from the ship was even more amazing.
My favorite picture of this was taken in the fog.
I think the fog distorts the lines of the bridge making it look a little wavy.
Don't forget to enjoythe view where ever you are in the world. 
Have a great day folks.

2 comments:

Zvonko said...

Another great post. Did you know that Yugoslavia's only nobel laureate, Ivo Andrić, gave bridges a special significance in his writings where they are a recurring symbol? If you haven't yet, you might pick up his famous novel "the Bridge on the Drina".

From "Bridges," an essay by Ivo Andrić:
"In the end everything by which this life of ours expresses itself--thoughts, efforts, glances, smiles, words, sighs--all of it is striving towards another shore, to which it is directs as to its aim, and on which it gains its true meaning. All that has something to conquer and bridge: chaos, death, or senselessness. For everything is transition, a bridge, the ends of which are lost in eternity, and compared to which all our earthly bridges seem like toys, bleak symbols. And all our hopes are on the other side."

On another occasion, Andrić wrote:
"From everything that man erects and builds in his urge for living nothing is in my eyes better and more valuable than bridges. They are more important than houses, more sacred than shrines. Belonging to everyone and being equal to everyone, useful, always built with a sense, on the spot where most human needs are crossing, they are more durable than other buildings and they do not serve for anything secret or bad."

Lafemmet said...

Hvala lepo Zvonko,
I have heard of Andric. Moj muz told me about him and his book. I will have to find it in English. Thanks for reading, and I thought my European readers would be bored with the American posts. I am happy to be wrong.
Have a great day!