L'Etoile du Nord

3rd September, 2011

Today my hosts were having a garage sale. It went pretty well. Some of the stuff was so cheap. I wish that I had a place to put stuff because I might have bought some stuff. It was really funny seeing an woman haggling to get 25 cents off something.

I went to St. Paul today. St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota. After a brief look into the little French church, I went to the Capitol (see above). They have a free tour every hour. While I was waiting with another couple for the tour, the woman said that her family is from Londonderry. I knew immediately which side she is descended from. People always ask me where in Ireland I am from. But if their family isn't from Cork, they have either never heard of Cork or lose interest in talking with me. In the Capitol, they have a world map, where you can put a pin on your city. I was the first Irishman this month (which doesn't say much because it's only the 3rd).

The tour guide was pretty good. The current building is the third state capitol. It was built in 1905. The architect was a huge fan of Italian architecture, which you can see in a lot of the rooms. The dome is self supporting, which apparently is rare enough. Minnesota means 'water with the colour of the clouds/sky' in the language of the Dakota people who were in the area before the west. It was the 34th state. And before Alaska, it had the most northerly point in the US (hence the name 'the north star'). Minnesota has a part-time  congress and senate. We saw the where the senate, congress and justices sit, as well as the govenor's office (which is very nice).

Next I went to the history museum. I only saw the temporary exhibitions though because I didn't have much time. There were exhibits on Minnesota weather, grain, famous Minnesota people, post-great  depression/WW2 and an exhibit on underwear. The exhibits were done very well - very interactive.

I had lunch in the museum cafe. It wasn't that great and just like everywhere else in the States, you pay $7-8 for a sandwich. I don't know why Americans complain that Ireland is expensive. The museum itself was $12 (this would be free or heavily subsidised in Ireland). (I'll definately have a separate blog post about the cost of living - I'll argue that even with the current exchange rate, it is still cheaper to holiday in Ireland and most of Europe than America).

Next I went to St. Paul's Cathedral. This is an impressive-looking building not too far from the capitol (indeed you have a good view of one from the other). It is a very nice church commissioned by Archbishop John Ireland from county Kilkenny. They have a baldachino that is modelled on St. Peter's Basilica. At the back, they have 6 chapels, representing different communites - Italian, French, German, Irish, Slavic (and some other community I forget). They have statues of Saints. Patrick, Brigid and Columba (just like the ones at the west side of the Honan Chapel).

Then I went for a wander around the town. I explored a good percentage of the city. I wanted to go to evening Mass in the French church. I couldn't find it but luckily as I was looking, I saw people walking into another church for Mass at the same time. The Church of the Assumption was built for German Catholics. It seems that each community had their own church. It was modelled after Ludwigkirche in Munich.

I decided to walk back to the house as it was a nice evening. I saw that there was a lake that I could pass if I went a slightly different way. So I walked to Lake Como through a bit of a sketchy neighbourhood (but nothing too bad). I got very lost in a park next to Lake Como so it took me a while to get back but I figured it out in the end. I made it back just after it got dark. Everyone was shocked when I told them I walked back from St. Paul. But it was only 90 mins (or it would have been if I didn't get lost).