New Years in Fredericksburg
I know, I know. Where the heck have I been? It's been far too long since my last post and a little late for New Years posts but alas here I am! I really wanted to share this trip that Collin and I took to ring in 2015.
We left for Fredericksburg on one of the coldest and dreariest days we've had this winter. We bundled up tight for the drive. We stopped in Austin for a bite at Central Market. For those of you who live in central Texas and haven't partook of Central Market's eateries you should do so, stat. They have an abundance of wonderful foods, groceries, and health supplies as well as a restaurant. Collin ordered the steak salad and I a vegetarian pasta. My pasta was good but Collin's was out of this world. I was a little jealous but he lovingly shared.
We made it to Fredericksburg around 3:00 p.m. and walked through the drizzle to our own little cottage. They had left the key in the mailbox and we opened the door to the most relaxing space. It was a small room with a cozy feel. Surprisingly it is the smell we will most likely remember. It was like walking into a spa. We cranked up the heater and got out my list of restaurants to choose for the evening.
We walked around the cottages to explore a bit and met a few friendly chaps along the way.
I was thrilled to see all the Christmas lights still on display. We walked along, looking in store windows we wanted to make sure to stop in the next day. The lights across from City Hall were perfect. It was a little park covered with twinkle lights and a small skating rink. We snapped a few pictures before ducking into a pizza parlor for dinner.
We got the best table in the house - in full view of the FSU vs. Oregon game. We wanted Oregon to beat FSU so badly and we got our wish.
After having our fill we walked back to our car and tucked in for the night in our wonderful little cottage.
The next morning we got ready for one of our favorite vacation traditions - massages. We try and book a massage for each trip we go on. It definitely feels like a vacation when you get to relax. After an hour of total relaxation my makeup looked quite bedraggled as my face had been smushed in the massage table for a long while. But I didn't mind. We were famished and headed to a tea house for lunch.
Looking back this was one of my favorite spots that we went. We were seated at a beautiful table with big windows looking out at their courtyard. A fire was crackling away and we were in heaven. We ordered hot tea, fried green tomatoes as an appetizer, and two wonderful entrees to enjoy while we warmed up.
Full and ready to shop we walked back to town to see the sights. We ducked into as many stores as possible looking at all the things that honestly we didn't need but enjoyed looking at. The German stein store was one of my favorites. Row after row of intricately designed and quite expensive beer steins. We saw a local shop that housed another one of our vacation traditions and ducked in for a treat - ice cream! Even in 30 degree weather we loved every bite of our ice cream. We ate inside of course.
Art galleries line each side of Main Street. We stopped into a few and spent more time in some than in others. Collin and I definitely know what kind of art we like and don't like. The coolest building we went into actually had windows in the sidewalk so that you were looking down on the art. Interesting concept. After getting a few more treats (salted caramel popcorn) we were ready for a nap and headed back to the cottage.
We woke up an hour later ready for dinner. We decided to try out the Fredericksburg Brewing Company. We were seated by the huge, roaring fireplace much to my excitement. Now, to start off, Collin and I are not fans of beer. At all. But we were in Fredericksburg, at a brewhouse, so we decided to order the beer sampler. Bad idea. Each taste made me make a horrible face. I had to order a sprite to chase them all down. I'll take a cider over beer any day. Blah. The food was great though.
We took another stroll down the wintry Main Street and headed back 'home' to our cottage. The next morning was a total change. It was sunny and much, much warmer. We walked down to the cottage's main house for breakfast.
We snapped a few pictures as the sun was shinning, packed up the car, and headed for the National Museum of the Pacific War. It was incredible. I was completely surprised by how big and how well presented each display was. It was humbling to read about all the soldiers that fought for freedom.
After finishing up the museum we headed back to the car, took one last selfie, and drove back home. We loved the weather, the food, the fun, and definitely would recommend anyone to visit this fun little Texas city.
