US Pond Hockey Championships

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In January there are two major events in Minneapolis and St. Paul that are uniquely Minnesotan – the US Pond Hockey Championships and the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. The first is a celebration of Minnesota’s favorite sport, and the second is a celebration of winter. Both are outdoor events, which makes non-natives think Minnesotans are slightly crazy. But, we have six months of snow on average, so we might as well make the most of it.

The US Pond Hockey Championships attracts teams from over 30 states and a half dozen countries. The premise is simple – playing pick-up hockey outdoors like you did when you were a kid. Or as the event describes it, “The way hockey was meant to be played.” Teams range from an open field to over 40, over 50, women’s, rink rat and boot hockey levels.

I went out this year, as I have for several years now, and the wind was bitter. The temperature was hanging at 1 degree, and I would guess the windchill was about -15. I didn’t want to take my camera out in the cold, so I recorded a few games in Hipstamatic on my iPhone. Wasn’t I cold? A little. But seeing people play with that much passion for the game kept me warm.

Next weekend is the start of Winter Carnival, and I hope to capture more pictures of winter on my iPhone. Until then, don’t forget to wear your Cuddl Duds!

Rink 1 of 25

Warming tent

Goal!

Balancing down the steps from the warming tent to rinks set up on Lake Nokomis.

Facing the wind. Brrr.

Fight for the puck.

 

New York iReport

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My goal of live blogging from the streets of New York was abandoned by a patchy 3G signal and less than stellar battery life. I have a future blog in mind from the trip, but until then, here is a delayed report told by my iPhone Hipstamatic app.

NY Luncheonette

The Plaza Hotel

Central Park artists

Central Park Ice Skating Rink

LOVE from NYC

Bill’s Gay Nineties in Midtown East

Brooklyn Bridge and New York skyline

New York Times Square

Hello Kitty!

The lobby of The Pod Hotel

Paris six feet under

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The majority of people who look at my pictures from the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris say the images remind them of the Saint Louis Cemetery in New Orleans. The Big Easy is definitely on my travel list, but until I get there, Pere Lachaise is still the mecca of cemeteries that I’ve seen in my lifetime.

You might think that touring a cemetery is morbid, but I visit cemeteries with the same attitude I would at any memorial. It is a place to honor the lives of those who have passed, learn some history about the era in which they lived and admire the architecture before you.

Pere Lachaise is steeped in history.  The brainchild of Napoleon, the cemetery opened in 1804, and there are over 300,000 people buried there today. The cemetery was considered too far from the center of Paris when it first opened, so a campaign emerged to get more funerals on the property. The strategy was to move the bodies of famous Parisians to the cemetery, beginning with Jean de La Fontaine, a French writer and poet, and Moliere, a popular French playwright and actor. The marketing worked, and common Parisians clamored to be buried near the rich and famous.

Oscar Wilde’s grave was a favorite, with lipstick kisses firmly planted on every inch of his memorial. Edith Piaf’s grave was laced in flowers and photographs the day I was there, which put “La Vie en Rose” in my head for the rest of my walk. Max Ernst, Gertrude Stein, Frederic Chopin – many of the greats are laid to rest in this picturesque place, making it a definite stop on your Paris tour.

I’m probably the only person who has been to this cemetery and not visited Jim Morrison’s grave. It wasn’t because of my disinterest in paying homage to The Doors lead singer. I just got lost trying to find it. Pere Lachaise is over 118 acres and easy to get turned around in. If you decide to visit the cemetery, I highly recommend checking out the online virtual tour at the cemetery’s website and buying a map from one of the shops across the street from the cemetery before entering. You can also preview Rick Steves’ walking tour of the cemetery in addition to his Paris iPhone and iPad apps.

Note: Another great resource of traveler’s comments can be found The New York Times Paris Travel board.