Self-styled Retreat

Rose the Gypsy and I put together our own annual autumn retreat this month (we did it last year too).  

We had a number of activities during our week ...

History of Minneapolis walking tour with food.   I learned things about the Guthrie Theater which make me dislike the new building less.  But the old building was better.  One of my favorite local beers was featured at one of the stops too :)

We went to see great art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, including an exhibit of 18th century Instagram paintings :)

 We went on a Knitting Cruise sponsored by Darn Knit {Anyway}

And we went to an author talk and signing at The Workshop.  (Clara Parkes is awesome).

Yarn was acquired.  Rose the Gypsy was introduced to two more LYS: Amazing Threads and Linden Yarn.  

This is the super-special-edition Knit the River skein from the cruise:

Other shopping was done too, including another book of photos from a museum shop.

And shoes.  Quite a few pairs, as a matter of fact, including these special-edition Minneapolis Toms from the Mall of America ...

... as well as suede Toms in a favorite color.  Seriously, I needed teal shoes and Rose the Gypsy had to get Toms because believe it or not, she did not own a pair before.

I also found a new dishtowel.  I have to set a good example for my grandchildren, after all, by keeping a tidy kitchen.

We had special foods galore including (but not limited to) Murray's, Birchwood Cafe, Tavern on Grand and The Oasis.   

Oh, and we knit too.  I'll post about that later.

Saturday Mornings

When the weather is warm, and the Farmers' Market is on (May-Oct) I usually see Girl-child, DIL and the pseudo-grandkids at the market. It's such an easy way to meet, it's fun and shopping gets done. 

Since October it's been kind of a struggle to get together on Saturday mornings.   It's hard to say exactly why.

That said, we have had a couple of fun get togethers. Once they popped in on me unexpectedly on a Sunday morning.

The condo is not a big space, but it seems to accommodate toys and books just fine.

This morning we went to the American Swedish Institute.  There is a great playroom upstairs and we had a great time until the naughty intruders were, well, naughty.

After ASI we went to lunch at The Modern Times Cafe.

The food was good and the waitstaff are great with kids.  I will say I found it a bit cheeky that the check comes back with tips calculated at 20%, 25% and 30% :P

And for the record, there is a great watercolor exhibit at ASI.  This piece in the library was (not surprisingly) my favorite:

We were going to go visit the Art Shanties this morning but the weather is too warm so it was cancelled :(

Finally, Snow!

We finally got some snow today.

Because I worked from home yesterday and today I felt the need to go out.

Plus I like to smugly walk to the light rail and go places when it's too awful out to drive.

It's a thing with me.

Not to mention the fact that the Mall of America was going to be empty.  I knew it would be.

And I had a hankering for ribs :D

Here is what I'm working on in addition to the blankie ...  First, a pair of socks for DIL:

Another pair for me (I won the yarn at the annual Drunken Knit Night party):

And the Sister Syster.  It's a wonderful color and the stitch definition is great.  I'm not sure it's an ideal yarn for the pattern but it will be functional enough and very pretty:

That's it.  Just going to sit back and enjoy the winter wonderland now.

The South Bank

I first discovered the South Bank in London when I went on a similar trip with Girl-child. We walked from the Globe Theatre to The Eye that day, and enjoyed the graffiti, the performance art and the beautiful views of the city.

This time I walked from the Tate Modern to iKnit London.

This guy was really good.

These were fun - lined up along a wall that would otherwise be gray and dreary.

I thought we had a lot of bridges, but they have lots and lots of bridges.

This ship is from WWI - an art installation piece with history.

I stopped at The Slug and Lettuce for a bite to eat.

This guy's shirt reminded me of what I saw the first time I was in London (1974).

Out and About, Shopping, Food and Booze

Now that I'm pretty much done with the work part, let's go over a few things, shall we? 

The views here can be spectacular. There are a lot of mosques. Many are on high ground. Minarets are tall. The effect is wonderful, especially at certain times of the day:

This is a shot of Galata Bridge with the Tower in the background:

Friday night appears to be THE TIME to be out and about (in case you can't see it, the pedestrian street below is solid people):

Markets and street vendors have beautiful, artistic displays:

I just LOVE buildings like these:

Women may be covered, and they may have skirts that show not only ankles, but knees as well.  With lips.  (I love to Kinnear people, don't you?)

You can purchase belly dancing outfits too:

Carpet shopping is ritualistic.  Tea is served.

Many carpets are pulled down and displayed.  Bargaining is required (she did not buy anything):

Apparently they do not understand at the Hilton that these little boxes are for leftovers:

The wine above is Turkish, btw, so yes, you can get alcohol in this secular, Muslim country (remember, Ataturk died of cirrhosis of the liver).  

The mini-bar is well stocked, although they don't seem to understand that re-filling it would be good for business:

Local food is delicious.  Kebabs and kufta are de rigueur.  There are lots of squashes and eggplant.

For some reason I get another night at the Hilton.  Sunday I will move to a small, reasonably priced hotel in the Sultanahmet part of town where I will be able to walk to many of the main sights.