I woke up in Montgomery on Saturday Morning ready to get my day going. My original plan was to go to the Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald museum first. But when I pulled up the website, I realized that the museum didn't open till 1! So instead, I decided to go and grab some breakfast. I stopped at a place I had seen the night before called The Egg and I. It was such a cute little place and apparently had been voted the best breakfast in Montgomery. And I know why! It was so delicious. I had the stuffed French toast and ranch potatoes. It was really like a French Toast Sandwich.
After breakfast, I decided to explore downtown. I love City Downtown's, especially Southern Ones. They are just so full of history, and Montgomery was no different. It seem like every time I turned a corner, there was some historical plaque telling me something I didn't know happen there. Like the one pictured above, of the Confederate Military Prison. There was also one marking the site of the Montgomery Bus Boycott to end segregation (where Rosa Parks first took her stand).
I meandered down to the Alabama river front, where a big rely for life event was going on. And there was tons of people everywhere. There were also Homeland Security Trucks and heavy security at the event. No doubt because of the recent Boston Bombings. Regardless, I was just happy to see so many people out and running. I think that my favorite thing about living in America is that no matter what happens, whether we are attacked by our own citizens or someone from a foreign country, we just go on, without fear, and live our lives, do our thing, and keep on keeping on.
Two of the coolest things at the riverfront was the old fashion paddle boat and the high water mark. I don't know if it is obvious from the picture, but one year the Alabama River flooded over 53 feet! That is just crazy, it almost seems impossible.
Next, I decided to check out the first white house of the confederacy. Which not only served as the capital of the confederacy, it was also the Alabama residence of the president of the confederacy, Jefferson Davis & his family. Just like the Lotz house, I just love looking at old houses and antique furniture.
Across the street from the white house, is the real capital building of the state of Alabama. I wanted to go inside, but it never occurred to me that the capital is where business is done, and like most public government buildings, they are closed on the weekends. Duh, Brittany. But never the less, the grounds were beautiful, and across the street from the capital is the church that Martin Luther King Jr was pastor of. Which was a nice little surprise to stumble over.
It was finally time for what I came to see, which was the one time home of Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald. I had recently finished a biography about Zelda and it got me obsessed with her! There wasn't a whole lot to the museum, but it was very nice just to walk in the footsteps of the Fitzgerald's and to imagine them living there. I loved seeing her original paintings on the wall and the family photographs.
When I was leaving, I asked the volunteer curator if she had a machine that took debit cards so I could get a magnet (Adam and I collect magnets, and I have one from every place we've been in the last four years). She didn't, but she insisted on giving me five dollars to buy a magnet. I tried to resist but she just told me to pay it forward. It was so kind.
When I went to Starbucks after the museum, I was going to pay it forward and pay for the car behind me. But the car behind me had like five people in it and I wasn't quite prepared to pay it forward that much, but that is my plan for my next coffee trip.
I had a wonderful solo weekend, but I really miss my husband. And I think it is always good to get a chance to really miss my husband and appreciate all the things I love about him. He gets home tomorrow night and that is making Monday seem a lot less scary.
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