Day Trippin' in Prague - Day 2

We ended up getting up at around 7AM, not just the next day, everyday.  The strange thing is that Noah would wake up first which is unusual.  Everyone knows he isn’t about mornings but his clock was all messed up on this trip and he kept waking up early.  I could have slept in, but once I heard him stirring across the room I was up.  I am the lightest sleep on EARTH!  No really! 

The good thing is that we got to have breakfast almost everyday which cuts down on expenses.  The breakfast was decent, quite filling and tasty.  We both took advantage of it and ate more than most people would think humanly possible.  Both Noah and I are really thin and we can eat like nobody’s business.  By the time we were done, we would be satisfied until about 2-3PM where we would grab a snack…usually ice cream…and then grab dinner or more ice cream.  Yeah, it wasn’t the healthiest trip.

Our first morning in Prague, we decided to visit our now old friend the Prague Castle, but this time it would be for real.  The first time was just to check out the city from above.  Let me just say there is a lot to explore up there, the grounds are vast and very nice.  I would advise taking a full day up at Prague Castle or at least a good half day, at least during the warmer months as I can imagine it to be very cold in winter.  We were there a total of three times and I still don’t think we saw the whole thing.

Changing of the Guard

As I had mentioned earlier, St. Vitus is amazing!  Seriously, it really is that beautiful, but I am a huge fan of cathedrals and I had been waiting for a while.  I know many people feel that if you have seen one castle or cathedral in Europe you have seen them all, but I really disagree.  Every one has their own feel and flavor and I couldn’t wait to see this one and climb the 287 steps to the top of the bell tower to see Prague.  I was stoked!  There is a line to get in, but who cares, it is free (Except the bell tower).  The cathedral really is very beautiful!  I have to say that St. Patrick’s in NYC was my favorite until St. Vitus.  It helped to have a perfect sunny day to light up the stained glass and strangely enough, it wasn’t that crowded once you got in.  People didn’t stay that long, though I was there for at well over an hour and I have the 100 photos to prove it! 

Before we left, Noah and I headed towards the stairs to make the pilgrimage to the top..  Well, the universe said, “no” because when we got to the door we were surprised to see a sign informing us that there were technical difficulties with the tower.  Technical difficulties in a tower?  What would cause technical difficulties?  It wasn’t like there were a lot of lights or wires up there.  Also, the weather was perfect.  It was very odd, but you can’t argue with the sign, so unfortunately, we had to leave without the full St. Vitus experience.

Inside St. Vitus

When we left St. Vitus it was around 11:55AM so we knew that we were close to the area where they have the changing of the guards, so we hurried over to join the huge crowd.  I have seen a few changing of the guards in my lifetime and let me just say that this was the largest and the longest.  It was pretty cool at first as it was pretty elaborate.  Besides the guards, there was a small band playing from the windows as well.  It was pretty cool at first, but after about 10 minutes, we started to lose interest along with others.  Seriously, I think the whole show was 20 minutes!  Well, more bang for your buck!  Except that it was totally free.  Anyway, be prepared to be there a while and enjoy the marching and the brass band.

After the changing of the guards, we were treated to a four piece string group playing the most beautiful piece I have heard in a long time. Besides cathedrals, I am a huge sucker for stringed instruments and was almost brought to tears.  Yes, I am an idiot when it comes to beautiful music, to me music is life and this was gorgeous.

We walked the rest of the grounds for a while before stopping to take in the red roofs before heading down.  When in Prague you must pay homage to the red roofs from the Palace area as that is one of the areas where you will get the best views.  I had to admit, Prague was defiantly as pretty as people had said it was.

After, visiting the Prague Castle, we decided that a visit to Petrin Hill Observatory was in order.  The tower at Petrin has been called the Eiffel Tower of Eastern Europe and contains 299 steps leading you to one of the best views of Prague. You can walk the hill all the way up to the top of Petrin Hill, but since we wanted to get in as much sight seeing as possible, we decided to take the funicular as it was faster. 

View From Petrin Tower

The tower is pretty sweet up close.  We were both really excited to start hitting the steps to see these incredible views.  That is until we began the ascent up the first 50 stairs.  The tower looks like it is sturdy, but when going up it, not so much.  The things began shaking as people came down and we went up.  I am not going to lie, I was a little nervous. 

When we got to the top, we were pleased to see that the views weren’t overblown and actually were quite fantastic.  They were amazing!  But for some reason, the structure kept freaking me out as it continued to shake.  The shaking mixed with the height made me uneasy so after about 10 minutes I left Noah behind and made my way downstairs.  Look, I know this thing has been around for a while with no incidents, but I was being a big baby that day.  Safety first!

Once I was back safely on the ground (or so I thought), I was soon accosted by an Italian tourist.  He was with a group of his countryman, but it was pretty obvious that he was the main person of the group who had been celebrating a little too hard this afternoon.  I mean he was ripped!  He began making interesting suggestions to me which I did not particularly want to partake in with this individual now or ever.  I can deal with catcalls, I live in the catcall capital of NYC, but when he started to get a little grabby it was on.  I seriously contemplated punching the guy the way good old Dad taught me, but thought assault may be frowned upon in Eastern Europe.  In the end, security had been called as I was not the first person this group had harassed.  I was amusing to see him carted off by security to who knows where.

Wish I Had Seen It

When Noah came down, he apologized for taking so long.  I told him I had a view all my own and explained the incident.  He asked if I had taken any photos or video.  Hmm, thanks for the concern, but no, I did not unfortunately.  After the fun at the Petrin Hill, we decided to walk down the hill and check out the surrounding neighborhood which included parks, houses, and plenty of churches.  We stopped at a bench outside a church to give our feet a breather and were treated to the sound of ringing bells indicating service was starting.  We were surprised to see the service fill up as much as it did as it was late in the afternoon, around dinnertime.  It was very peaceful and a nice way to take a load off before searching for dinner.

I won’t lie, I am a picky eater and the food in the Czech Republic was a little much for me.  I don’t eat beef or pork and I don’t like stew, so pretty much I was SOL in Prague.  What I did enjoy was the omelets.  Apparently, the Czech Republic rolls like I do.  Omelets are available all the time as they are a dinner staple as well.  This made me happy as I have been known to eat omelets any time I go to a diner or any other late night joint that serves them.  So, while in Prague most of my meals consisted of eggs, cheese and assorted vegetables.  I always find a way to make it work.

After dinner, we walked around the Charles Bridge to see it lit up before walking around the beautifully lit historic buildings.  There is nothing as beautiful as Prague lit up at night that is for sure, especially with the Easter celebration in full swing adding to the ambience.  We also stopped at the Astronomical Clock, but decided to come back later as it was dark and our photos wouldn’t be as crisp.  That and I think it stops its hourly “show” after a certain hour.  So, we headed back to the hotel after a long day with plenty of miles on our feet.  We would be getting up early the next day due our first side trip out of Prague; Kutna Hora. 

Easter Time in Prague - Day 1

From Amsterdam, we were off to Prague.  The flight was easy going though I would like to give a shout out to the lovely flight attendants of KLM, they were all gorgeous and so friendly.  The Netherlands, the gift that keeps on giving.  When we landed, I was surprised to see that the airport was pretty small.  I was happy that I received my luggage though, after my problems in Spain, I always get a little nervous.  The airport is a little ways out from the actual city so you can take a cab or take public transit.  We choose public transit. The reason is that I had done enough research to know that the taxi drivers are known for ripping people off.  In fact, 5 minutes off the airplane and we were being accosted by a taxi driver who did not appear all that wholesome.  After we told him “no” several times he still kept pestering us and seemed a little aggressive.  Finally, we just ignored him and he went a way.  Trust me on this, take the 119 Bus and then the subway, all in all it costs under $4.00USD to get to Prague and is very easy to maneuver.

Petting Zoo!!!

We hadn’t slept on the plane that much, but were really too happy to be in Prague to care. So we checked into our hotel (The Akcent) and we were off.  The nice thing about our hotel is that the Andel subway station was right outside our door.  The thing about the Czech subways is that they are deep underground and cold with a wind tunnel effect.  It could be 120 degrees outside and it would still be a breezy 45-50 degrees below.  This kind of sucked because the weather while we were there was perfect; 75 degrees everyday!  But then you would go down into the frigid subway and freeze.  But I must say, the subways are clean and run frequently.  Hey, MTA take note of the European subway systems!  They actually run, are clean and affordable!

After 4 stops Noah and I got out of the sub zero subway station to the bright warm sunshine.  The center of Prague was before us in all of its Eastertime glory.  My first impression was wow this place is crowded, then again, we were near the Easter booths as it was, hey, Eastertime!  People were milling everywhere, brauts and beers in hand.  There were booths selling Czech goods and even a little petting zoo at one end.  I can’t pass a petting zoo, I just can’t, and wasted a good 15 minutes there along with all the other children.

Let me just say, the architecture is amazing.  That is why a lot of people come to Prague and now I understand why.  It really is quite beautiful.  Even the buildings and places of business were interesting because the Czechs aren’t about boring colors.  There were buildings in all colors, mostly pastels.  You don’t see that a lot in major cities but you did in this one. 

The other thing I noticed rather quickly was that the roads are cobblestone.  At first I thought it was just the major tourist areas, but I was wrong.  The cobblestone is EVERYWHERE!  I wouldn’t normally mind, but you see, I had messed up my back a few weeks earlier doing an extreme yoga move.  I hadn’t don’t yoga in a couple months due to a musical I was in, I didn’t have time, and I was in very good shape thanks to the show so I assumed I could begin where I have left off.  Advice:  You can’t!  That and if you do mess up your back, avoid Prague as you can’t walk correctly on cobblestone after a while.  Even Noah who is a fine, strapping young man with a perfect back was hurting by the end of the day.  I am glad to report my spine is back to its former glory!

After, we had a quick visit to the booths we decided to head to the Charles Bridge.  Unfortunately, the bridge was under construction at the time which kind of stunk.  They were working at the entrance of both ends which made getting onto the bridge a chore.  I had no idea how crowded it would be.  It was swarming with tourists and peddlers.  That was a little discouraging, but the views were great, especially at night.  Another cool thing to check out are the jewelry stands.  I like to buy things from the locals when I travel as it is handmade and unique.  I got one of the coolest necklaces there and have gotten many compliments on it.

A little history lesson: The Charles Bridge was built in 1357 and was finished at the beginning of the 15^th Century.  Along the bridge you will see many baroque statues depicting various saints and patron saints.  The most popular statue is St. John of Nepomuk, a Czech martyr saint who was thrown off of the bridge.  If you touch this, you will have good luck and will return to Prague.  Take a few steps towards the Old Town from the statue and you will come to a cross with five stars on the left parapet of the bridge, here you are supposed touch the cross and the stars with your LEFT hand and make a wish.  This is supposedly where the martyr was thrown off of the bridge, why it would bring you good luck I don’t know, it didn’t really for him.  Interestingly, more than half the people use their right hands, I don’t know what happens to wishes if you use the wrong hand.   Anyway, the best time to go to the Charles Bridge is early in the morning to avoid the crowds.  It really is that bad, but still very beautiful.

St. Vitus

Because we had arrived later in the afternoon, we didn’t have too much time to explore Prague before it got dark and we had to feed. But before dinner we decided we wanted to check out the Prague Castle or Pražský hrad if you speak Czech.  It is a little bit of a trek uphill but nothing outrageous; I quite enjoyed it!  When you reach the top you will get a beautiful view of the red rooftops that Prague is known for.  We decided to do a quick run of the grounds, because the palace was our main attraction the next day and we didn’t want to spoil it, but let me say one thing, St. Vitus is amazing!!!  That is all I am saying for now.

After we visited the grounds we decided it was time to grab some real Czech food, which meant stay away from the tourist areas as much as possible.  We prefer to do that anyway, but that is where you will get the cheapest and most authentic food.  In fact, the packed restaurant was all Czech except for us and a Spanish table.  I had the onion soup, salmon and apple strudel (which was everywhere).  I have to say, it was quite good, though they believe in salt and more salt, well at least at this restaurant.  But I can’t complain, I am a fan myself. 

After the dinner, we wandered the city a bit before heading to the hotel.  We both were pretty exhausted from the flight and in our head it was 6PM our time and we had not slept.  So off to bed we went.

Heading to Prague, But First... Amsterdam

After hearing so many positive things about Prague, I convinced my friend Noah to come join me on my discovery of this much talked about city.  I think the deal became sweeter for him with the prospect of going to Amsterdam and Dresden.  It turned out to be a great trip with little time for rest.  Sleep is overrated anyway.  It all began with a quick jaunt in Amsterdam... 

My friend Noah and I are usually on the same page for travel, but I don’t think that Prague was really ever on his top ten list let alone top 25.  Over the past few years when I would ask people who travel what their favorite destinations were in the world, Prague appeared on many of their lists.  You can’t ignore a trend after a while.  I did some research and asked Noah what he thought.  He was an easy sell and agreed to go.

Sunset Over the Atlantic

So, we quickly planned the trip and bought the tickets and booked the hotel.  While in the Czech Republic, we had decided to go on a few side trips, as well; Amsterdam, Kutna Hora and Dresden, Germany.  This was going to be pretty sweet!

Let me just say that the flight was not smooth sailing.  We met at 34^th street to catch the PATH train that would take us Newark.  I am not a fan of Newark as it is out of the way for me; I’m a JFK girl.  Because of this I do not know how to get to Newark and blindly follow Noah.  While trying to get onto the PATH train a not very nice woman pushed her way in front of me while I was trying to get my suitcase on and the PATH operator closed the door while a quarter of us were still trying to get on.  So, of course I got separated.  Long story short, Noah and I were eventually united and by the time we got to the airport we had about 45 minutes to check in and go through security for an INTERNATIONAL flight.  I don’t know how, I won’t question it and I won’t give up our secrets, but we made it on, both of us repeating over and over for the next 7 days , “We should not have been on this flight!”  But on the flight we were…

Tourist Kitty

Before getting to Prague we had a long layover in Amsterdam giving us about three hours to see the city.  There was no way I was going to be holed up in the airport, but let me say that three hours is not enough in Amsterdam.  It is a unique city and must be seen the right way, not just for a few hours, so please understand that this is not a true overview of Amsterdam and you should spend a few days here at least.  I will for sure one day!

The train from the airport to the city center takes about 20 minutes and is very easy to access.  It was rush hour when we landed so we had to sit in the exit area as all the seats were taken.  That was fine because we didn’t want to miss our stop as we had limited time.

Amsterdam has a very different feel from any other city I have been too.  First off, it isn’t a flashy city with lots of tall skyscrapers and with newly designed buildings.  It is has a very small town feel yet it is a large city.  Many of the buildings are made of brick and are row houses.  Also, there are tons of bridges throughout the city which means there is water everywhere.  I loved Amsterdam’s charm immediately, it really is very beautiful!

Butt Load of Bikes

The other thing I noticed was that there are hardly any cars being driven, but there are plenty of bicycles.  I can understand the lack of cars.  The streets are very narrow, though the cars reflect this.  Seriously, some of the streets are tiny and dark.  Still every photo I took had a bike in it.  I have never seen anything like it!  There were even “garages” for parking your bike which took up three full levels.  I still don’t know how any one would be able to find their bike at the end of the day, it was so confusing. 

I did notice that due to the activity of the people, every one was extremely svelte as well.  I didn’t get to hang around the city and it s inhabitants long enough, but I will say that I felt tiny in comparison to the people of Amsterdam.  Noah is 6’2 he was fine, but me, I just seemed to disappear.  Talk about feeling height deficient.

Due to our time constraint, we decided to walk around the streets and take in the city.  During our walk we came upon a bakery down a narrow bricked alleyway.  The baked goods looked amazing and the owner encouraged us to come in and see them up close when he saw us eyeing them.  We each picked out an item while he explained that he made everything by hand and was up by 3:30AM almost everyday.  I didn’t think it was possible, but the baked goods tasted even better than they looked and they were gorgeous.

Even though we were there for only a short time we were struck by how friendly everyone was.  That and that everyone spoke English almost perfectly, which put us at ease.  When I travel I like to learn key phrases to get by but our stop was so quick we didn’t get to learn a lot.  We were told people spoke English, but I don’t like to assume as that would make me look like a poop.

In three hours we got what we could out of the experience and even accidently went near the red light district though we did not partake in any of the “fun.”  We also, did a drive by of Anne Frank’s hideout where you can take a tour.  I have to say I was disappointed I didn’t get to see this as I have heard it is a very moving experience. 

I have to say that Amsterdam is an amazing city from what I could tell and needs more love than a layover.  I hope to go back in the near future and enjoy more of it as my sneak peek left me wanting more.  It truly is gorgeous!   

Anne Frank

Me and a Bridge

Finding the Love in Manteo, North Carolina! - State # 18

Landing in Richmond 

My friend Sarah and her fiancé are both from the South, but both now live in NYC.  Because they know so many people who live in different states up and down the east coast, they decided that Manteo, North Carolina would probably be the most central for everyone.

There was no way that I would miss Sarah's wedding, that and I had never been to North Carolina before.  Many people I have spoken to love the Outer Banks.  I can't tell you how any times I have heard this.  I am from the West Coast and had never heard of the Outer Banks before.  Have you heard of Puyallup Fair?  If you aren't from the West Coast you haven't, it is all about location, baby! 

Docked Ships

My friend, Ashley would be joining me for the wedding as she is friends with Sarah, also.  Ashley also enjoys crazy road tripsand had no problem with our side jaunt in Richmond, Virginia.  Yes, it would seem like it would make more sense to go through Norfolk to get to Manteo, but the price tag was over a $100.00 more per person to go that route.  Even if we went through Norfolk, we would still have to get a rental car, so why not enjoy the company of Richmond, Virginia on our outing?  Done and done!

The day of our flight we left around 1:00PM for a 2:30PM flight, due to an emergency landing at LGA, all flights were delayed for almost two hours.  No big deal usually, but we still had a four hour drive ahead of us once we landed.  The good thing about Virginia is that it is only about a 45-60 minute flight.  The bad thing about the plane to Virginia is that the plane is very tiny!  I was having flashbacks to the flight from Arkansas as it was about the same size.  I understand that maybe the places I had been flying to lately are not US hotspots, but still!  By the time we got into the air it was about 5:45PM, we ended up waiting almost 3 hours to get on the flight.  Luckily, we were treated to the most beautiful sunset right before we landed in Richmond. 

The Richmond airport is pretty small, which made finding our rental car pretty easy.  We were a little disappointed that we would be seeing most of Virginia and North Carolina in the dark, but we would see both these states in all their glory on Saturday and Sunday.  So, unfortunately most of the drive was uneventful.  Well, except for the guy who flipped us off because we tailed him a little as he was going 10 under in a 65 in the fast lane.  At first I wasn't sure, but it was indeed a loud and proud one finger salute.  One thing I have learned, the Southerners for the most part are not fast drivers. 

Also, on the way to North Carolina, I was a little perturbed to find that there were a lot of scary bridges on the way.  Well, scary to me.  I am aware that Manteo was on the water, but I refused to believe this until faced with it as denial is always better for the short term.  Luckily, after we got off of the bridge, we began to see the charm of North Carolina once we hit the Kitty Hawk area.  First off, any restaurant that claims "I Got Crabs at Dirty Dicks" is alright by me.  As soon as Ashley saw the sign, it became her North Carolina obsession and she knew before she left, she would own her own T-Shirt.  I would more than gladly help her as I believe everyone should have the chance to achieve their dreams.

Another interesting thing to note was that everything was closed as it was almost 11PM that is except for the drive thru liquor store.  I never would have believed it unless I had seen it with my own eyes, but yes, they exist.  It's almost like a car wash, actually.  You go through a tunnel and to the right you will see the many options available for your liquor needs.  To the left is a friendly clerk to help you achieve those booze filled dreams.  This is a dream for boozehounds everywhere as you will never have to leave your car again.  Somehow, I don't see this catching on in NYC anytime soon...

When we arrived at our hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the Roanoke Inn, which we would be staying at, would be right on the water.  What was even better was that the room we would be staying in would have a waterfront view!  After, putting our things in our room, we decided that we wanted to walk along the water to the lighthouse at the end of the pier.  The night was beautiful for October, though the humidity was more than I expected.  NYC gets humid, but the humidity in North Carolina is a lot thicker if that makes sense.  My hair was freaking out!

The Inn at Night

Still, the night was beautiful with the lights around the pier dancing on the clear, smooth surface of the water.  It was absolutely perfect.  That is until we ran into a sign warning us about the water quality as human and animal waste may be an issue.  Hmm, that kind of killed the mood a bit, so we decided to head back to the hotel as we would have a full day before us tomorrow at the wedding.

But before getting into our hotel room, I was attacked by a huge roach looking thing.  I had left NYC, why would there be roaches?  Ashley informed me it was a Palmetto bug, which is in the roach family.  So, technically it wasn't a roach in the sense I was used to.  But I see it this way.  If it is in the family, it is a roach!  Also, it turns out that these things can fly!  Holy crap!  We have water bugs in NYC, but I have never seen these things fly and if I did, I would leave the apartment until it die either by someone else's hands or natural causes.

The next morning we got up early, even though we hadn't gotten to bed until 1AM.  For some reason, North Carolina was throwing off our groove.  We went downstairs to get breakfast, but it was a pretty simple spread.  Nothing wrong with that, but we were craving more than cereal.  Still, it would tide us over until later that afternoon.

Manteo is a beautiful town and a great location for weddings.  In fact, if I was looking for a romantic getaway this would be the place.  If you are looking for a wild and crazy time, Manteo is not the place for your.  In fact, most of the Outer Banks is not for you.  It really caterers to couples who want to get away and have alone time. 

Oh Man!

There are definitely things to do her as there are there are a lot of little shops and they are all reasonably priced.  You can get anything from kites, to candy, clothing and tourist items.  There are outlet stores near Kitty Hawk if you are into larger shopping sprees, as well.  

After walking around a bit, we decided that we wanted to head out a little farther and hopped onto the bikes that the hotel provided.  Ashley's was probably the newest as it was in the best condition.  Mine was a little bit more weathered.  When I started riding it quickly, it started to make a noise like I had put a playing card in the spokes.  I felt 12 again!  I hadn't really been on a bike for a while, but it comes back to you quickly.  It didn't take long for me to start riding like a maniac and trying to pop wheelies in the street while screaming over my shoulder at Ashley.  So much for the romantic weekend folks!

If you go to Manteo, you have to go on a bike ride, this was one of the best moments on the trip.  We decided to cross a gravel road to get to a pier that looked inviting.  A little note, bikes on gravel is a very bad idea, though we both survived.  Also, anther obstacle was that it was very windy on this particular Saturday.  Not sort of windy, but CRAZY windy!  Ashley had to coax me a bit to get out onto the boat dock, but finally I decided to face my fears. 

When I came to the end of the pier the wind almost knocked my skinny butt into the deep choppy water.  That is when I decided it was time to sit down and take a breather.  This is also the time we both did stupid replicas of the Next Top Model photos.  Yes, I watch this show because I think Tyra is absolutely self absorbed and I can't get enough.  I don't like reality TV, but this is just so bad it's good!  I am happy to announce we both smized...

Peeking at the Wedding

Ashley for some strange reason wanted me to do a jump photo in the middle of the pier as she knows I am a fan of this genre of photography.  The problem is, I really was afraid the wind would knock me into the water.  For some reason, Ashley can talk me into stupid stuff.  She informed me that if I did fall into the water she would throw me one of the orange life preservers.  She became obsessed with these things.  In fact, after we took the photo (I didn't get blown into the water, BTW), she decided to try one on.  One thing you may want to know when in Manteo.  When you lift one these orange circle life preservers from the pier, it will set off a siren to alert someone.  At this point, we knew it was time to leave and grab lunch as being arrested would put a damper on the whole wedding thing.

The best part of the Inn we were staying at was that on the second floor next to our room was an outside area where there were a bunch of rocking chairs.  We decided to go to Poor Richards to grab lunch as it was right by us.  Let me say apparently this is the place to be.  The line was out the door and most of the people appeared to be locals. The food is well proportioned and the cheap.  It is also very good!  What even made it better was our view from the rocking chair deck. 

After lunch, we decided to get ready for the wedding as we wanted to get there a little earlier as it was at the Elizabeth Gardens.  The gardens are very beautiful and well worth checking out.  Apparently, this is also the place to get married as there were three wedding going on at the same time.  My only complaint was that most of the women were in heels and we were sinking into the ground as the gardens are very soft soil.  It really wasn't the gardens fault, but my achilles were aching!  The wedding and reception would be taking place at the gardens also, so at around 8PM and after a few cocktails, I kicked off the heels and went with the ever popular choice of going barefoot.  There were many of us, trust me.

As expected, the wedding was beautiful and the service was very special.  I won't get into it as the blog is about Manteo and you don't know Sarah. Though, I can guarantee you wish you did.  She is fantastic and I adore her!  After the touching ceremony, we headed to the reception where there was plenty of North Carolina BBQ for everyone!  I have never been a huge fan of BBQ, though the rumor is that North Carolina has some of the best.  Part of it is I eat fish and chicken only and people in the South eat anything with good meat on it.  Still, it was a good meal though I mostly ate the fixings.

Because the space was on public property, we had to leave around 11PM which was okay because it appeared as if it was clearing out anyway.  But the evening had been a great success with lots of food, a live jam session and lots of dancing.  The only down point was that there are mosquitoes everywhere!  I had heard the rumors, but I wasn't a believer until I woke up the next morning with 10 bites on my body.  I would have had more, but Ashley kept hitting me all evening when she spotted one on me.  Come to think of it, she may just have been using that as an excuse. 

On Saturday, we decided it was time to head back to Richmond but not before taking one more walk around Manteo.  We stopped at the Magnolia Cafe to have a real Southern breakfast as we no longer had to care about wearing cocktail dresses to the wedding.  Yes, the food is greasy and yes there is a lot of it, but we didn't care.  It was good and cheap!  Being used to NYC prices, both Ashley and I would keep looking at the check at the end of the meal to make sure it was for real.

The City of Duck

After breakfast, we were a little upset to leave as we would have liked more time, but the town of Duck was calling us.  Well, that and Dirty Dicks.  First off, Dirty Dicks claims it has the best crabs in town.  Now, I don't know much about crabs as I have limited experience and  the crabs I usually get start with a "K" rather than the "C" so I will take their word for it.  There were plenty of items to buy though which made Ashley very excited.  She was even more excited to see that most of it was on sale for half price as the tourist season was just about over.  I have to say that the "I Got Crabs from Dirty Dicks" thong was way over priced at $18.00, though.  You can get two fancy thongs at Victoria's Secret for that price!  So, sadly, she had to walk away.

Our next task was to visit Duck, North Carolina.  Someone told me that the Wright Brothers really flew their plane in Duck rather than in Kitty Hawk.  Now, I have no idea as aviation is not my specialty.  But Kitty Hawk is still claiming it and Duck's got nothing that I could find.  The whole thing is just a big mystery, that or some crazy person is claiming this because they loves Duck so much.

Still, amidst all the controversy, Duck was still a very lovely town.  It's similar to Manteo in that it's a costal town with a lot of small shops and eateries, but it has the one thing that Manteo is missing.  Ducks!  Maybe that is where they got the name!!!  I kid you not, they are all over the place, I even have the photos to prove it.  They are plentiful, noisy, and absolutely delightful.

The City of Duck

Duck was all I had dreamed of and more.  It also had a lot of sales going on as tourist season was over and they had to get rid of inventory.  Good for me as everything was half price or more!  The only disappointment was that the ice cream shop was closed the day we went.  This killed my spirit a little as that is what we were looking forward to in Duck.  No worries, down the street from the shops there is a walk up window that serves fried goods and ice cream. 

I order the small cookie dough and was a little dismayed to see it cost almost $3.00.  That is NYC prices.  I was even more dismayed to see it was two HUGE scoops!  I had to remind the guy I ordered the small, he told me it was.  They don't mess around in North Carolina!  I hate to say it as I hate to waste good food, but there is no way I could have finished it.  

After our ice cream, Ashley and I left Duck quite satisfied.  North Carolina had been very kind to us and I kind of wished we had had one more day.  I absolutely loved the Outer Banks and now understand why people speak so highly of it.  I seriously would love to go back next year if possible as it really was that amazing.  I am happy to report that North Carolina far surpassed my expectations as I had a wonderful time.