Traveling Fool

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

I haven't had any great travels lately, although I am headed to Green Bay and Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the end of September. In the meantime, here are some photos of Minneapolis taken through the skyway. If you are not familiar with skyways, they are enclosed bridges/walkways that link Minneapolis buildings together (they are also in St. Paul and Duluth); you can always tell a visitor because they refer to them as skywalks. They are nice because you can get all over downtown without going outside, handy when it's snowing out. The Replacements, a Minneapolis band, wrote a song called "Skyway". You take the skyway, high above the busy little one-way In my stupid hat and gloves, at night I lie awake Wonderin' if I'll sleep Wonderin' if we'll meet out in the street But you take the skyway It don't move at all like a subway It's got bums when it's cold like any other place It's warm up inside Sittin' down and waitin' for a ride B