Our visit to Raleigh, North Carolina, was an opportunity for us to connect again with relatives and to explore the significant buildings of this capital. Alas, our spell of good luck with the weather ended here and while it came down in sheets on a dreadfully gray day, we popped into Woody’s of City Market for apple cider and hearty barbecued pulled pork, another Southern specialty, apart from the ubiquitous fried chicken. The rain had held out long enough, however, to allow us to explore the quaint Victorian Oakwood district with its gingerbread-trimmed homes and gardens in which, miraculously, rosemary bushes are a perennial and the adjoining Oakwood Cemetery where thousands of confederate soldiers lie buried. We also took in the Greek Revival architecture of the Capitol building, the Museum of North Carolina and Exploris, a science museum.

Coney Island of the South Atlantic

 Later that afternoon, we drove further north arriving at the commercial strip that comprises a number of beaches that make up the Myrtle Beach area of North Carolina. A wondrous place for kids, this is a family vacation paradise. The many amusement parks held little interest for us, however, though we did cruise along Ocean Boulevard getting occasional glimpses of the Atlantic’s thunderous waters. Since it was St. Patrick’s Day, Chriselle insisted upon our visiting an Irish pub for lunch and search out one we did. At The Blarney’s Stone, we watched middle-aged Irish couples dance the Irish jig while an Irish band fiddled live tunes. Emerald green was the color of the day, evidenced in the headgear, jewelry and garb of the general public. Even the beer that flowed endlessly from bottomless vats was green while the Shepherd’s Pie and Meatloaf we devoured for lunch was better than anything Llew and I tasted on our culinary journey through Ireland last summer. Having satisfied our urge for a typically Gaelic repast, we made our way up north to Raleigh, capital of North Carolina, where our digs for the next two evenings was Cary, the suburb in which Menaka’s cousin Jose lives with his wife Nimmi and their son Alex.

Do join us as we continue our exploration in Raleigh, capital of North Carolina.

Bon Voyage!