Blogs from St Louis, Missouri, United States, North America - page 7

Today was my last touring day on this leg and it went out with a bang. This morning I went to the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica, which replaced the original Cathedral over 100 years ago. The Basilica is located in an older part of town with tree lined streets, large brick and stone homes and countless churches. The structure didn’t appear particularly large from the exterior - I drove past one side and didn’t realize I was there - but the architecture is grand. The real treat was going inside where I was overwhelmed by its size and grandeur. The interior walls and ceilings were covered in Byzantine mosaics with their gold backgrounds and intensely colored foregrounds, which made the Basilica feel majestic. I had an early lunch at Pappy’s Smokehouse, an up-and-coming BBQ joint in ... read more

I had a fairly open mind about what we might experience on this trip, knowing that there were too many variables. Our scripture to ponder on the day of assault on St.Louis, was Joseph's journey into slavery (Gen. 37). The question I wondered about as I finished my pondering and prayer time was: "When have I been on a coerced journey like Joseph's and how did I react? I came up with a few vague ideas, but nothing I was very satisfied with. I needn't have worried: a sample was about to slap us in the face. We got lost at least once in the morning, but had a great time on the Chain of Rocks Bridge which crosses the Mississippi on an angled bed of limestone and therefore actually has a turn built into the ... read more

Still at work... My flights for Portugal leaves in: I just finished a long, full, productive day at work. Tomorrow I leave for a month in Europe! A nice long break, with some international studies goes a long way... I will be visiting Lisbon, and spending some time with friends there before moving onto Madrid (via night train) until May 29th. While in Madrid I will be taking IB596 - Case Studies in the European Union. This class satisifes a portion of my Master's requirements, in a fun way. I plan on using this blog as a way to track my thoughts while I travel, and also as a way to keep friends and family informed on where I am. If the blog posts stop, I have most likely taken up residence in that country and ... read more

So after several fairwells I departed Indy around noon, and speeding along the good ole Red and Blues, quickly found myself passing St. Louis' famous Arch, and Gateway to the West. Although my Google directions plotted me to circumvent the city and the arch, a quick review of the St. Louis map at the rest area in Illinois prepare me for this treachery, and I cruised within 100 yards of the Arch on a direct route on I-70 through the city, although, of course, traveling 60+ MPH! Unfortunately, after staying up to 3 in the Morning the night before, then waking up with my lil bro Nathan at 7:30, I was pretty wiped out. Putting safety first, I pulled over at a BP next to a Missouri Firefighters Museum and tourist information area. It was a ... read more

Sometimes going home can be an experience. I'm just writing an update at the moment. I visited home since writing last. I got an email from Travelblog yesterday or the day before saying it has been 175 days since I last visited this site. I have since become more interested in blogging at blogspot.com. And honestly I haven't done any real travelling since I blogged last. One of my cousins took an extended trip through India and wrote such good blogs here that I was inspired to open my own account. I think it's perfect way to tell your friends, family and everyone else about your trip. So much better than sending postcards or going home and showing all your pics at once. If people follow your blog as you're travelling they will learn so much ... read more