a river runs through it: south silver

I love water.

(click photo to enlarge it)

Despite being land-locked in the midwest, I grew up in Minnesota the "Land of 10,000 Lakes!" (and we have even more than that). I also grew up on one of those 10,000+ lakes, which was certainly influential in cultivating my love for water. The sloshing sounds, the fresh smells (except during the summer algae season, of course), the reflections which expand and nearly double the world around you, the wildlife it brings, are all serene and beautiful.

Recently I realized that all of my favorite places in the world feature significant bodies of water, and that pretty much all of the great cities on earth are river towns. I understand that rivers brought life, resources and commerce to the people, and that's why they built on them, but I like that the rivers also greatly improve the ambiance and culture of the cities.

Here's a little series on some of my favorite places represented by their significant bodies of water.

Oddly, the first one isn't even a river, but it is the lake I grew up on and therefore dearest to my heart.