Botanicals, Basilicas and Breweries

 Forest Park 

1300 acre park that was home to the 1904 World's Fair

The French influence in St. Louis is shown here by a statue of King Louis IX of France, the namesake of the city of St. Louis.  He is portrayed as a 

"Christian soldier" with  a sword in the form of a cross, (suggesting his ascendency to the divine realm)   

His costume has the Fleur-de-lis, the symbol of French Monarchy.

Today, the park has the Missouri Museum of Art, but all the buildings that were present at the World's Fair have been removed.

I understand that it is an Art Museum, 

but - a giant electrical plug ???

Missouri Botanical Garden

The current display is Origami

A small display in the lobby,

the paper that was folded to create it.

Such  gorgeous gardens throughout

A field of lovely springtime crocuses 

 The Origami grace the flower fields

The crocus are embedded in a field of lush green.

Something we don't see too often in the desert

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis

WOW!!

The Cathedral is home to the largest collection of mosaic art in the western hemisphere, probably the world.  Mosaics from Russia literally cover the walls.

Construction started in 1907 

contains over 41 million pieces of mosaic pieces of colored glass.

Upon entry, the visitor is hit with the blazing brilliance of the gold colored tiles- everywhere.

I am sorry to say that the pictures we took in no way reflect the beauty of the place!

Story upon story cover the ceilings, domes and walls.

It is truly remarkable

Only two stained glass windows

One of which is hidden behind the altar.

(some sort of a 'family feud')

The ornate beauty rivals any cathedrals in Europe.

Budweiser Brewery Tour

The Clydesdale Barn- best equipped in the 1800's (and today)

We got to see the Clydesdales  (sort of)

I would have preferred a Clydesdale Tour

Which pipe do you prefer?

Lovely elegant old buildings

Now that's a chandelier - several stories high.

St. Louis, Missouri - The Arch

Gateway to the West

This monument was created to commemorate St. Louis' role in the westward expansion of the United States in the 1800's.  Because of the strategic location of the two longest rivers in the US (Mississippi and Missouri)  it was a successful trading center since 1764.

I'm pretty surprised that I got a halfway decent picture since I was staring right into the sun on our morning tour.

                             History Museum

                        After the museum was remodeled and updated, 

                            the Arch grounds became a National Park in 2018.

A good description of the newly formed 'society life' after being founded as a frontier town and entrance to the west.

Such interesting perspectives on the early history of slavery in our country.

After the United States boundary moved to add the Louisiana Purchase

Life changed dramatically!

"What would it be like to never leave home and be in a different country?"

                                THE ARCH

I had lived in St. Louis for a few years, but never toured "The Arch" nor realized how interesting and unique the construction was.

Building this arch was a remarkable feat - due to the height

and unique design.

5 people in the pod to get to the top.

I kept wondering how many stairs there would be to get to the top

(outside the 'elevator' we rode in)

                    The view from the top - really is great!        

The red bus to the left of the white building is our tour bus for the day.

Glad to see he is waiting for us!

Leaving the building is pretty overwhelming when you look up 

and realize you are directly under the arch. 

Yes, it IS impressive.

I had never realized it.

The views and river activities are a pleasure to see.

Is this a "Cinderella's Pumpkin Coach"?

Here is some grain from a grain mill being dumped into a barge, to be moved up or down the river to be delivered customers in the US or somewhere in the world.

This looks like only a couple of barges.

We usually see them in groups of 15, being pushed by a tug boat.

We learned that a 15 barge tow is equivalent to 225  train loads

which is equal to 870 semi trucks.

How vital those barges are to most everything we consume or use!

If you get a chance, be sure to visit.

Hannibal Missouri, home of Mark Twain and Molly Brown

 A couple of days of exploring the life and times of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens),

and  a "live performance" by Mark Twain himself--how timeless!

It was interesting to see and tour the actual cave that Mark Twain 

(Samuel Clements) explored as a kid.

It was different than the caves we are used to seeing - no stalactites or stalagmites - just a lot of limestone (and lights to see some of the rooms.)

Yes, Jessie James hid out here.

Lots of graffiti!

There he is!

The town has about 5 museums - here are all the characters in his books.

His history is varied and rich, many dollars made and lost.

One of the museums has original Rockwell paintings.

Tom and Becky escaping Injun Joe in the cave.

The "Live Presentation" 

interesting how Mark Twain's commentary on life and politics was then, 

but seemed like now!

The lighthouse in town is basically a memorial for the 100th anniversary.

It is too far from the river to be of any use as a real lighthouse,

but it is pretty and climbing up all the stairs is good exercise.