Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Eureka Springs

Barry and I recently spent the weekend in Eureka Springs. I always enjoy visiting there! Architecture is an interest for me and the houses there are a treat for the eye. While we did splurge on this trip on a room with a jacuzzi, you could really visit at a minimal cost and have a great time. My travel tip for Eureka, especially if you are going for a one night trip, is to go up mid-week with no reservations and look for vacancy signs at the bed and breakfasts. Do a little homework on-line and with a travel guide and pick a few places. A lot of times you could probably get a good deal this way. Having stayed at a B&B and a hotel in Eureka I cannot recommend a B&B highly enough. It is part of the experience and you will truly appreciate the atmosphere.

We had a lovely time! The weather was beautiful and it was romantic being back at our honeymoon spot. We walked everywhere we could and took the trolley to and from our hotel. We dined outside when it was offered and ate funnel cake while sitting and people watching. We ate at some truly interesting places. Ermilio's is our all time favorite Italian restaurant. Barry had the fettuccini alfredo and I had linguini gorgonzola. I cannot recommend that enough! Slightly more mild than blue cheese, gorgonzola is now my favorite soft cheese! It is Italian home cooking and everything is fresh~even their salad dressings are homemade. Lovely atmosphere and wonderful service.

We also had a couple of dining firsts. Well, I did, Barry is not quite so culinarily adventurous as I am! We ate at a lovely little cafe on Spring Street~if you are coming up the Y onto Spring it is straight ahead, right where you have to curve. I believe it was Sidewalk Cafe. I had salmon cheesecake. I know, I know! It sounds gross, but it was really good. It had salmon, cream cheese, peppers, onions, etc and it was baked. It had a wonderful roasted red pepper sauce and was actually best with crackers. I am going to try to find a recipe and use it as a hot dip appetizer. Another neat spot was the New Delhi Cafe, which offered Indian food. I had chai latte and a curried potato dish with sprouts and other veggies on flat bread. It had a great taste but I would have liked a little meat and it was a vegetarian dish. Barry ate pizza before he would take me there-he wasn't going to chance it!

Believe it or not, we did something other than eat. We strolled around and listened to street performers playing Blues, checked out the shops and did a little historic sightseeing. A neat thing that we would recommend is checking out the art shops and galleries. We turned to that section in our travel guide and visited as many as we could. Eureka Springs has historically been a gathering place for artists, musicians and writers. I can see why, it is truly a beautiful place. The historic district isn't just full of beautiful buildings, its gardens spill out onto the streets and there are grottoes here and there with springs and lush vegetation surrounding them. You can just feel the age of the town and the history surrounding you there.

We would also recommend checking out the Crescent Hotel. The Crescent offers a beautiful view from its third floor observation deck. Although the architecture and beauty of the hotel is worth the walk alone. Another point of interest is Thorncrown Chapel. It is truly breathtaking. 

I always leave Eureka Springs feeling a creative yearning. I want to plant a secret garden in my backyard and create nooks and crannies to hide in. I want to sculpt and paint and write a book! The pace is slower there and when I slow down I find I enjoy life more. I need to find out how to implement that slower pace here at home.

Love,Shawna

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