Trip to US Part 1 – St. Paul

"The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed the world." 
- Alexander von Humboldt

Often when we go to the US we mix it up with visits to see friends in addition to our time with family. It makes our trip slightly more complicated but, particularly if we’re traveling through the city/country anyway, it’s nice to take advantage of it. It’s also a way to experience new places and see new things.

strange children in Amsterdam airport

As such, we made our regular trip to St. Paul, Minnesota, to see our friend Kathy. And use it as a stopover on the way to Louisville.

early morning view of the Mississippi while out for a jog

St. Paul is a city that has been growing on me. We’ve experienced it in the middle of winter and the middle of summer and I have to say, it has a lot going for it. I think I mentioned in the past that Minnesota in the winter would be much more fun if they had some serious mountains. As it is, it’s a lot of cold without the fun. But that’s just me.

Nonetheless, it’s a very livable city and, in looking at property values, I’m apparently not the only one that thinks this. It’s becoming more expensive as the city grows.

We arrived directly from Nairobi (via Amsterdam) with no stopover so, as usual, we had to shake off our jet lag. In the end it wasn’t too bad and we were able to jump into the local time zone pretty quickly.

Very good to spend time with Kathy as usual. We had options for some activities and we sort of played it by ear. Works for us.

We made a return trip to the Cafesjian Carousel. It’s a classic merry-go-round that was built in 1914 and has an interesting history. Worth a visit to anyone who visits St. Paul.

We also took a ride on a paddle boat (pedalo). That is something that I would not recommend to anyone who visits St. Paul. I’ve been on them numerous times, notably when I was living in Switzerland. These boats, or possibly this one in particular, was crap. I’m quite sure that I’m not so out of shape that I could barely peddle the thing. In any case, next time we’ll opt for the canoe.

St. Paul as seen from the Mississippi riverboat

We also took a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi River. This was new to me and I have to say I quite enjoyed it (Kinaya fell asleep instantly and missed the entire thing). It last about an hour and a half and there's a narrator that talks about the storied history of the River as it snakes its way through the St. Paul area. I saw a guy working on his laptop. Apparently they sell season passes and some locals do the trip numerous times. Pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

bald eagle, as seen from the riverboat

Alas, it was a pretty short visit and we were soon off to Louisville…