Castle Island

Hello everyone!

For a date one windy weekend, David and I went to the Castle Island for a stroll!

It used to be an actual island, but it has been attached to the mainland since the 1930's for easy access for folks like us!  =) 

It has a wonderful little beach, and apparently it's one of the most popular beaches in Boston!  When we visited, it was still a bit chilly, so no one was in the water, but I'm excited to revisit later in the summer for a refreshing swim!

For now though, we had to be content with a stroll and people watching  =)

The island is home to Fort Independence, a 5 point stone fort which was built in the 1800s.  

When we were there, it was under construction, so we couldn't go inside, but we did get to peep through the doorway and see airplanes flying just out of the reach of the cannons!

So-sad-we-didn't-get-to-go-inside photo

After having burned off So. Many. Calories from the park, we went in search of noms to replenish some of those calories  =)

We had never tried Boston Cream Pie, so we figured that should be remedied.  At first, we wanted to go to the home of the original Boston Cream Pie, but things didn't line up, so we had to put that idea on hold.  Next time...  

Though the original place didn't come through, the Flour bakery came to the rescue, and we did get to at least try our very first Boston Cream Pie!! 

And my goodness, where has this been all my life?!  The most creamy, decadent, melt-in-your-mouth, and perfectly sweet piece of cake we've ever tasted!  Usually, I'm not a fan of cake because they are usually too sweet, but this one hit the perfect sweetness level.  

Ok, Boston cream pie.  We are definitely a fan!

David now wants to try our hands in making it ourselves... but for now, I'm content just eating my way through all of the delicious layers of the Flour bakery's version!  haha  

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

--Janny

Eating around Charleston, SC

Hello everyone!

If you've followed this blog for awhile, you know that the record of our trip to Charleston wouldn't be complete without a post dedicated to food!

We visited a few different restaurants, but these two really stood out among the eateries that we tried. Because we were only there for a few days, we couldn't try all of the ones our friends recommended, but I guess we'll just have to go back to try those later!  ;)

First one, probably our favorite, is Page's Okra Grill.  I think it's a locally very popular place, and when we got there, we were told the wait would be an hour or something like that, but somehow, we were seated in more like 10 minutes!  I didn't take pictures of this, but because we went on a Sunday afternoon for lunch, we got the full Southern Sunday-best experience!  I loved seeing everyone decked out in their summery dresses and all of the BIG hats!  loved all of the big hats!  I was a little envious because I really want one, but I wouldn't really have a chance to wear it in Boston..

Anyway, let's get to the food because that was amazing.

I mean, just look at these!  We ordered shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and some pancakes.  I know, that's a lot of food for 3 people, but we didn't realize how big the portion sizes are here!

When we were ordering, the waiter was really surprised at how much food we were ordering, but we did good work!  that's what happens when you go with two growing boys  =p

Another place we visited was Magnolias!

We went there before Daon and Tristan's wedding with all of our family friends and this is definitely a more of a fine dining experience whereas Okra has more of a local diner charm.

We had some fried tomatoes with grits and house-made potato chips with blue cheese. That blue cheese is not for the faint of the heart...  'twas intense!  

For the main course, we ordered a lot of different dishes because there were many of us, but I only took photos of the Cuban sandwich and the Lowcountry Bouillabaisse.  Both really good!

For dessert, the waiter insisted on their home-made southern Pecan Pie, so we did!
It was beautiful, and delicious for sure, but I feel like desserts are all very similar in different restaurants.  They are all very.. sweet..  haha.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Southern comfort food experience, but I think I've had enough Shrimp and Grits to last me quite awhile  haha  I had it every day I was there!

To aid in digestion of all of the comfort, we took a stroll on the beach. We were in a beach house for the wedding, and I could really get used to living in a beach house haha  

People were swimming and frolicking in the water, so we thought the water would be warm but it was absolutely freezing!  this is as far as I went into the water haha  crazy kiddos...  how do they swim in this freezing water?

Our visit to Charleston was very low key (other than the wedding) and that was just what I needed because right before this was my finals and right after was the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition with the larks!

Thanks for dropping by, and have a wonderful weekend!

--Janny

Last Cancun Post

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to drop by and share a few random photos from Cancun  =)
Last post from Cancun... so sad... especially since Boston weather is sooo different from Cancun's right about now  haha
aww... boy do I miss this scenery...

and this food...

and these people...

oh Cancun, we shall be back  =)

to actually try these coconuts  =)

Have a great week, and thanks for dropping by!

--Janny