In Ireland (and about "bridges" there and everywhere)

[P_7878 6,666]

First of all, bridges are nice...I really like them a lot (I like rivers too since the bridges span the rivers) ...And don't know why but whenever I think of bridges, as now, I am reminded of that "Simon and Garfunkel" song "Bridge Over Troubled Waters"...🙂...wonderful lyrics and tune, and an equally wonderful meaning to it... 

The "big" bridges such as e.g., Golden Gate Bridge, Oakland Bay Bridge (please see my (past) post on San Francisco visit, if you wish), or the Brooklyn Bridge of NYC, or the Tower Bridge of London etc. are all impressive, beautiful and engineering marvels of their times, but here I am pondering about the "smaller" bridges, visited in RW or not. You know, the ones that do not have the sky-scraping Towers or the majestically suspended cables hung high above the deck level, yet these small ones have their own charm and appeal...e.g., a small (arched) bridge, possibly made of stone, over a stream or a small river,  and usually covered with moss underneath...meaning it has been around for hundreds of years with stories to tell of its own...

Last week, I was standing on one such small bridge in a local park...over a trickling stream of water, and a gentleman standing near, told me, "That trickle of water you see below, meets West branch of DuPage River just over there, and then the West branch meets up with the East branch of DuPage River, at the edge of this park. DuPage River then meets the Des Plaines River which next merges with Kankakee River to form Illinois River which finally meets up with the mighty Mississippi River which eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico nearly 1,000 miles away..." So, that little park-bridge and that trickle of water down below, would now have a new meaning for me every time I see it...🙂...Next, say, we speak of the Seine River in Paris...this river flows through the city for only about 10 miles, but it has a total of 37 bridges (foot bridges and road bridges) that span the river within the city (i.e. nearly 4 bridges per mile...!). We know well of the big bridges of Paris...such as the famous "Pont Alexandre III"...hmm...I recall recently watching a Hallmark Movie...🙂...in which this bridge featured in re-joining of two (broken) heart lovers...Oh well...

Anyway, most European countries have extremely large number of (historical) bridges. Ireland of my interest here is no exception. I searched for "10 Best Ireland Bridges"...to travel to in the virtual world, and I (randomly) picked three including (1) Thomond Bridge (2) Harry Blaney Bridge. Please note these are not eye-catching "high" structures, when viewed from the air, especially virtually, (as e.g. the Golden Gate Bridge is), so, (virtually) I could only spot the roadway on top of it. However, I'm quite sure these two (listed) bridges are admired and loved by the natives not only because they themselves are "pretty" ground-up, but also being located in beautiful surrounding countryside (See my pictures below, especially shot #s 12-20, past the mountains, leading up to the Harry Blaney Bridge in my last shot). The Thomond Bridge, on the other hand, see my pictures (shot #s 9-11), is in a metropolitan area. 

Hope you enjoy this collection of pictures...out of Ireland... (MSFS has done a good job here, if you ask me, of the geographical features) ...!

Thanks for viewing...!

[John F 2,437]

All good. Starting to get the feeling you've been here, there, and everywhere...and with lots more interests than just flight simming, 🙂

[P_7878 6,666]

30 minutes ago, John F said:

All good. Starting to get the feeling you've been here, there, and everywhere...and with lots more interests than just flight simming, 🙂

Thanks, John. Never been there in Ireland...🙂...or in any of those nice (and worth-visiting) countries up north in Europe...So, occasionally I hear, "If we don't visit one of the Nordic countries soon, I may have to go there by myself..."...🙂...And, of course, by "Nordic", we don't mean, here, Minnesota and Wisconsin ...🙂...

[Alaska738 8,441]

Nice set of shots! 😉 

[pmplayer 9,528]

Fine set of shots !

cheers 😉

[P_7878 6,666]

Will, pmplayer, and folks:

Thanks for the comments and responses...Much appreciated...🙂...!

[andiflyit 460]

Good looking shots PM_7878 🙂, Ireland is nice to fly, also like the scenery in XP very much.

[P_7878 6,666]

Thanks, Andreas...🙂...!

Yes, I do recall seeing, in the past, posts by XP folks with nice sceneries from Ireland and EU in general...

[Phantom88 3,287]

Fantastic Series!!!

[P_7878 6,666]

On 4/9/2024 at 11:52 AM, Phantom88 said:

Fantastic Series!!!

Hi Patrick:

Thanks for taking the time to comment...🙂...Cheers...!