Traveling Fool

Sometimes I get bored in the morning on my walks, and I like to have something to do.This past summer it was the search for Pianos on Parade; this autumn, it was decorative manhole covers, so it makes sense in the winter that I look for...lost winter wear like mittens, gloves and scarves. It gives me a purpose and helps pass the time. Of course, the day AFTER I decide to do this, I found NOTHING. Patience is not my strong suit, but I persevered. Here are the finds from my first week. Since winter really just started here in Minnesota, I anticipate more orphaned outerwear over the next three months. Not a glove, but I thought this was so cool

Things have been pretty quiet here. I wanted to go for a drive, but the weather isn't cooperating. So, no new Minnesota adventures. I have been making some more plans for the big trip which is officially less than six months away. I booked some cheap flights; I don't mind the train, but since I have so little time in each city, I don't want to be on a train. I also have bad luck on trains - they always seem to get stuck in the snow (Denmark), trouble on the line (London to Edinburgh), so I just can't risk getting stuck somewhere and missing a concert. Adele was kind enough to schedule two more concerts during my stay, so I will be up high in Wembley Stadium for one of the concerts. Phil Collins also announced a concert in Ireland on June 25, but that would disrupt my visit to my friends, so I'll pass. Besides, even though it seems to some of my friends that I have a money tree in the backyard, I do not. I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul and hoping it all works out i...

Got your attention, didn't I? Not bad for someone who has been up since 3:30 this morning, prepping to hop online to try and order ONE Adele ticket. Oh, did I say 'try'? Yeah, I did it. Yes, I did. I bought a ticket to see Adele at Wembley Stadium in London. I figure, since I'm over there, and the dates work out, why not try. So, two Phil Collins concerts and one Adele concert, and possibly "Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie. I think this could be one helluva trip. I will have to rearrange my plans for Amsterdam, but I think I'll still be able to do some great stuff there. More to follow. The pictures below are from Adele's concert in St. Paul, MN July 7, 2016.

It's for real now, well, it was for real when I booked the plane tickets, but now I have the concert tickets, it's really real. Plane tickets - booked, hotels - booked, friends put on notice that I will be there in June. I'm researching different touring options, trying to maximize the few days I have in each city. I'm so excited to see Phil Collins, but I'm also pretty stoked to be going to Barcelona and having paella and maybe some tapas, but also Amsterdam to eat some gouda, pain au chocolat in Paris, and Indian food in Bracknell. This is definitely going to be a trip for my taste buds.

It's official - I'm going to Europe to see Phil Collins in Paris this June. Except, I won't be limiting myself to Paris. At this point the itinerary includes Barcelona, Amsterdam, London and Edinburgh. Why not? The big expense is crossing the ocean, so once I'm over there, I say make the most of it. That's the reason you will never see me in an article about retiring early, but, you only live once. I spent most of today getting airplane tickets, booking a couple of hotels and researching different tour options to maximize my time. It's not real until you have some charges on your credit card, so, now it's real. Unlike my last big trip, I won't need any visas or special shots, I'll just need to increase my walking endurance and save my pennies. Oh, and work on my patience because I'll be going during the peak of travel season. Very excited to go to some places I have never been before, revisit some favorite spots and see some old friends. See yo...

The next few weeks may be pretty quiet in terms of travel stories, however the summer months hold a lot more promise as a trip to Paris, London and Edinburgh is in the planning stages. The devil is in the details and I can't wait to start working on them. In the meantime, I want to plug my book. Ten years ago I took the trip of a lifetime, spending seven weeks traveling around the world, from China to India, Greece, France and more. I was encouraged to put the experience in a book. So, I did. There is a hard copy version (really nice, but pretty expensive, if I do say so myself) and there is also a lovely digital version for your Kindle or tablet device. Think of it as a Kickstarter with the reward already guaranteed, for less than $5. Such a deal. I've been told it's a fun read. Here are some reviews on Amazon.com Click here to add to your cart on Amazon.com Looks good on a shelf

Almost two and a half years ago, I took a little day trip down to Van Meter and Winterset, Iowa. I wrote a little about it in my movie blog (the good old days when I only had one blog). It was the heart of summer, hot as hell and me without a/c in the trusty Backer Tracker. I made a return visit with my very good friend, TB2 (not her real name, in case you were wondering). The impetus for this trip was to get a Turkey O'Toole from Bennigan's. Yes, we drove to Iowa for a sandwich. Since that sounds a little weird to say, we thought we should make a whole day of it and go see the new John Wayne Museum (under construction during my last visit) and the Bridges of Madison County, oh and the fall colors. That justified the 3 hour plus journey down, and then of course, we'd have to eat. We headed off to Winterset and after running into a few curtains of distinct and forceful agrarian smells, we made it. You see the small white house where a 13 pound baby boy later known as John W...

I made a trip home recently (Cleveland, if you're new to the blog), and I made a stop in Green Bay to see the Dixie Chicks and Milwaukee to see a Brewers baseball game. I have never been to Green Bay, it's actually not that far from the Twin Cities. Green Bay is home to the Green Bay Packers. That's it, as far as I could tell. But, it's a big deal. The concert was on a Saturday night, in an arena spitting distance from Lambeau Field, and there were so many people in Packers' gear, I thought there was a game that night. I didn't go into the stadium, it looked like you could, but I did take some snaps from around the stadium. A review of the concert will be in my movie review blog . Curly Lambeau Vince Lombardi I've been to Milwaukee for concerts before, but I usually just go to the hotel and then the venue, and I haven't explored too much, so this was my first visit to Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a beaut...

Sometimes I feel like a combination between Sir Gawain looking for the Holy Grail, Don Quixote tilting at windmills, and a dork. This is one of those times. I noticed many years ago that Minneapolis has some unique manhole covers, but I never did anything except enjoyed them. After my enjoyable hunt for those pianos I felt like I needed another mission. The real challenging thing (or just sad) is that I believe several of them have been removed because of the construction on Nicollet Mall. So, this may be a really short exercise, but here are the covers I found this morning, all along 6th & 7th Streets, these were between Nicollet and Hennepin Avenues. There are also a few sites that give more information: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/minneapolis-manhole-covers  and http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2015/06/22/a_series_of_minneapolis_manhole_covers_mix_whimsical_design_with_urban_planning.html Enough chit chat. Here are the photos. Hot dogs and hamburgers. Pa...

Prince was here in spirit It's that time of year here in Minnesota, all of the counties have held their county fairs and the winners have made their way to St. Paul to show their wares, crafts or animals, and the various food vendors are getting ready for a very busy two weeks. Now, lest you think this is going to be an essay on the makings of a state fair, rest easy. This is a love story to food...Whoa, that's pretty pompous. Okay, it's some pictures and descriptions of my annual trek to the Minnesota State Fair with one of my very good pals. It's been 'annual' for about six years; and we've been perfecting our visit for that time: a plan on what to eat and when, when to go and for how long. People that go tend to have their own plan and rhythm based on their family obligations, traditions and past experiences. This has been the best year that I can remember as far as weather; a couple of rainy moments, but nothing too bad and the heat has not been as...

If it's anything we appreciate here in Minnesota it's gorgeous weather, and free shit. So today was the culmination of both things. The Irish Fair of Minnesota is the largest free Irish fair in the country. It was held on Harriet Island in St. Paul for a beautiful three days. My friend and I went on Sunday. We parked a mile or so away ($5 - another good deal) and walked, delightful. There is an area set aside for the marketplace which is full of local, national and I imagine, but didn't confirm, international vendors selling kilts (maybe next time), soccer jerseys, scarves, music and jewelry; there are food vendors, local pubs and Irish/Celtic clubs providing beer, lemonade, fish & chips etc.; and various music stages, dancing stages, activities for kids; and in the cultural building they had an exhibit dedicated to the centenary of the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin. There was even a hurling demonstration, kind of like field hockey meets lacrosse meets make up your own...