April was busy for my husband and me. Two couples near and dear to us were married. As it turned out, the first wedding was in Florida and the second a week later in South Carolina, so we were able to attend both and plan a little road trip in between. Here are some pictures of our adventure.
A note about this cake: while it looks fabulous, it tasted even better. I find a lot of times that a cake that looks this good might not taste so good. This cake was an exception. I ate my whole piece and then munched on more later that was left in the fridge (whoops, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone). Each layer of this cake was a different flavor. The first I tried was an almond cake and the second had some sort of chocolate ganache thing going on. Luckily, they hid the top layer because I probably would have dug into that too and it supposed to be saved for the couple's first anniversary (just kidding, I would have controlled myself).
After visiting with relatives for a couple days, we made our way to St. Augustine, Florida, America's oldest city. We were greeted by very nice innkeepers at The Kenwood Inn and immediately given information as to what to do and where to go in the city. We toured city hall, Flagler College and Fort Mantazas in between shopping and getting lunch.
After a long day of walking, we were in the mood for some beers before heading back to shower and change for dinner. We stopped at A1A Ale Works, sat on the balcony and overlooked the bay. As usual, I had to try the beer sampler...and of course my favorite was the Maibock, the special beer of the month which apparently has a higher alcohol content than any of the others (no wonder!).
Dinner was at Collage in town. Our innkeeper recommended it and handled the reservations for us. We were very happy with her choice!
Next stop on our adventure was to St. Mary's, Georgia, where there is ferry service to Cumberland Island, a National Park closed off to civilization. Cumberland Island is truly a wonderland filled with all sorts of wildlife and ruins of what used to be. I wish we had more time to explore this beautiful, mystical place. It's not every day that you see wild horses on the beach and armadillos digging in the dirt. It was very cool!
Our final stop before the second wedding was in Charleston, South Carolina, one of my favorite cities (not to mention my sister lives there). On this visit, we took a trip to Magnolia Cemetery, which is the most famous cemetery in the area (cemeteries are big down there). Never in my life have I seen such intricate gravesites. Here was one of my favorites:
Also while in town we ate lunch at Hominy Grill (finally!) and had dinner at Poogan's Porch and Muse. Hominy Grill was awesome, and we were lucky that there was no line as we went during prime lunch hours. I had the pimento cheese sandwich (can't get those up north) with the coleslaw on the side, which was refreshing and light. My husband and sis got potato salad on the side of their sandwiches and aside from my mom and grandmas, it was the best I have ever had.
Poogan's Porch is another southern standby tucked in an old house on Queen Street. I remember eating there as a child and it brought back some memories. The food was good, especially the biscuits, but the atmosphere is what makes this place. Supposedly it's haunted too, which is always a possibility anywhere you go in Charleston.
By far the best place we ate on our trip was Muse, a Mediterranean place also in an old house on Society Street. Everything about this place was superb - the food, setting, and service. We will definitely return on our next visit.
The final stop of our trip was the second wedding in Wild Dunes on Isle of Palms (a 20 minute drive from downtown Charleston). Like the first wedding, it was outdoor, very intimate, and beautiful. It was such a treat to begin and end our trip with these two very special occasions. We couldn't be happier for the 2 couples as they begin their new lives together!
P.S. This was the first time I have seen wedding cupcakes - so cute and so very tasty!!
