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Published: March 4th 2010
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Dennis and Dave
A great holiday party. We apologize for the delay in sending this holiday missive…. time seems to have gotten away from us. Way away as it were. Clearly it is not the holidays any longer. Most of us are yearning for spring, but as always, we feel an desire to tell you of our travels, no matter where they take us. We hope you enjoy traveling along with us.
In November, we wrote of the balmy climes, Parrot Heads and conch fritters as we enjoyed the best Key West had to offer. You would think that was to be expected from us, as we have spent a good deal of time in the Sunshine State, even having lived there for more than a few years.
In December in a startling 180 degree turn of events, we headed to the soon to be frozen tundra of the great state of Minnesota as we cashed in some frequent flyer miles and set out to see Dave’s old college buddy. (Yes that’s how you refer to it when you realize that it has been more than 30 years) Minnesota? Yes. Your average tourist would choose to visit the Land of 10,000 lakes sometime in
Holiday Tree
and all that glistens. the summer, but we are not your average tourists! But you knew that already.
There is no way to adequately prepare your body for temperatures in the teens and 20’s after you have wandered the streets of Key West in shorts for four days, but being the foolishly brave travelers we are, we attempted to persevere. Our time there was cold but fortunately for us we had only a dusting of snow while we were in town. Good thing, because we had no idea at the time what a long cold brutal winter awaited us in Pittsburgh.
Dennis and Dan live in the historic district of St. Paul, one of the Twin Cities located in the southeast part of the state. We found this area of St. Paul to be quite interesting among the great homes built at the turn of the 20th century by the wealthy men of the times. These edifices are impressive in both their design and size.
We took a room at the Cathedral Hill Bed and Breakfast on Dennis’ recommendation and were impressed by the fine wood paneled walls and the wonderful way it was decorated for the holidays.
Dennis's Kitchen
Holiday food abounds Our hosts provided us with a comfortable and warm place to lay our heads along with a tasty breakfast each morning. If you are in this area we highly recommend a stay at the Cathedral Hill Bed and Breakfast as it is charming.
The first weekend of December each year is when Dennis and Dan put on their annual holiday party at their restored Victorian home. Fine wine, tasty hors d’ouvres, a jazz quartet, and pleasant company made for a fine gathering in the midst of tasteful holiday decorations and an impressive Santa Claus collection. Their home, once on a list of homes to be demolished due to neglect has been magnificently restored.
While in St. Paul, we were treated to a wine tasting at the St. Croix Winery. We realize that almost no one thinks of Minnesota as a grower of the grape, but some of their efforts were quite good. A rustic barn-like setting complete with a violinist and classical guitar playing duet made for a pleasant evening.
We also took time to see St. Paul’s Cathedral, which would rival the finest in Europe in design and magnitude. It was built
Great Entertainment
at our holiday party between 1907 and 1915 out of limestone cut from nearby quarries.
While we were exploring St. Paul we stopped to have lunch at a wondeful Greek restaurant named the Acropol Restaurant. We met the charming owner of the resturant who relocated from Greece in 1956. She shared some wonderful stories with us and we greatly enjoyed meeting her.
Although we enjoyed our short time here, we hope to return again when there are leaves on the trees and not a snow flake in sight!
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