St. Louis grew from the Mississippi River. Today, the river remains one of the main arteries of America with huge barge flotillas carrying freight up and down. Most of the cargo is fungible goods like grain, coal and gravel. When I worked downtown, I always enjoyed watching their grace and power.
See how our members' cities around the world move their stuff at https://citydailyphoto.org/category/theme-days/ .
Our home away from home in the hills on the edge of Siena. The beautiful, musically Italian name means something like scatter your cares and thoughts. It it a 19th Century manor house turned into a boutique hotel. We stayed there perhaps 25 years ago. Fond memories brought us back.
We spent six nights there, going into the city and taking day trips around Tuscany. The staff, all of whom spoke excellent English, could not have been more helpful and friendly. The restaurant is a wow. The value for Americans was very good because of the current favorable exchange rate (1€ = US$1.06). If you find yourself going to Siena you should check it out.
Still in the Bologna cathedral pending getting back out on the street at home. We have been in a lot of big churches but the rhythm of shape and space, the theme and variations, in this one particularly impressed us.
St. Petronius, the patron saint of Bologna, was bishop of the city in the mid-5th Century. Details of his life are a bit sketchy. The enormous cathedral seen in recent days is dedicated to him. His statue looms over the central piazza, where a tennis exhibition was taking place. I don't thin his blessing helped anybody's shots.
While we were visiting the Bologna cathedral, we heard a beautiful baritone voice singing a hymn. I thought a service of some kind had started, but when I turned I saw this. A man in a tee shirt, presumably a tourist, stood before the sanctuary and performed a sacred song in a powerful voice. I don't know if he was part of a tour group and I certainly don't know what inspired him. Perhaps it was the space itself.
It's hard to see in this picture but his shirt says Born To Be Wild. Chose your own definition.
