Nellie moved out to there in last June for graduate school, and before this trip I had only seen her once since moving. For someone who is one of my closest friends visiting once a year is not nearly enough.
Taking a few days of much desired PTO I jetted off towards my destination! Nellie for days had mentioned how excited she was that I was coming to visit. It made the trip that much more special in a very cheesy way.
The first thing I noticed about NC is how forested the landscape is. It's basically what I expected Missouri to look like for some reason. Here is a shot from us driving from Raleigh-Durham airport.
I swear the very first thing we did was go get chicken and biscuits from a place called Bojangles. Nellie insist we get this because it's one of her favorite treats from the south. I expected a KFC sized biscuit but instead I got one the size of a hamburger bun! Mmmmmm.
The next day we did some girly things like go dress shopping and go to the mall. I also 'helped' Nellie go apartment shopping and learned a very valuable lesson about wearing a skin-tight cami under my shirt in the heat, basically don't.
That Friday night we went to the college's downtown for a few drinks and some dancing with one of Nellie's grad-school friends. This street view below reminded me of the view from the patio of Gentle Ben's on University near U of A. The dollar bills are at a bar where everyone puts up their own dollar, so we found Nellie's and now we will always be next to each other in NC.
Saturday we started off the day with a walk down a beautiful nature trail along a creek that runs really close to where Nellie's is currently living. Even with the humid swelter it was quite lovely outside. I compare the difference between AZ heat and NC heat as either feeling like your face is going to burn off or just sweating your ass off. The nice thing about 90 degrees and humidity is you don't over heat as much as you would with 115 degrees and no humidity. You just sweat, a lot.
The trail ended at a park with a lovely rose garden. Well worth the 1.5 mi walk in the heat. Who can really complain about the heat though with such great scenery and a friend with so much to catch up on with.
Later that afternoon we went to a farmer's market with a New Orleans Jazz band playing with a few of Nellie's friends, who all made for good company. We got delicious food, browsed thru jewelry, drank wine on a blanket on the grass, all while listening to so fun music. That is enjoying life right there, I mean how could it get much better. I was so content in that moment.
The next day, Sunday, was BEACH day! I had been looking forward to this day especially for weeks and it was completely worth the wait. I had never been to the Atlantic ocean before, never really swam in an ocean except for the Mediterranean. The Atlantic was warmer than the Pacific like Nellie had promised.
The waves were great that day. The ultimate wave pool. Nellie and I spent so much time out in the water that most of my sunscreen came off and I ended up with a nasty sunburn. Who cares though, it was amazing! I was sad to leave after about 4 hours of beach bumming. The only thing I didn't like about Wrightsville beach was that in the section we were at there weren't really any restaurants or anything near by to get drinks or food.
Monday we still had a free day of stuff to do so we decided to visit the local attractions and museums, BUT it turns out most museums are closed on Mondays, makes sense I guess, but still disappointing. One thing that was open nearby was a was a botanical garden, so off we went!
Later we explored campus and downtown and ran into a giant sundial and more roses. See that blue sky? That is NC blue according to the ever-wise Nellie. Campus of course was also green and lovely, and we walked around a small older section with giant trees and historical tidbits.
Yep that's us, sexy no?
I loved all the colonial buildings around the campus and college town. Something about an older building just inspires me. I love admiring how a structure can last that long, and thinking about all the people that have lived and passed through it. I don't get the appeal of living in a 'brand new' house. One of my old apartments in Tucson was built in the 1920's or so, and despite the tiny size I loved it, but that's a post for another day.
I was so not ready to leave, but I couldn't crash on Nellie's couch forever, plus I got this silly job I have to work. I flew home Sunday and came home to a lonely cat and an life of responsibilities. How lame. Except for the cat, I love him. Awww. Can't wait to see my favorite North Carolinian again in October!
Hope y'all enjoyed my travel post!
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