Columbus

Saturday 9th July 2011
It is amazing how much you can cram into one afternoon. We didn't get here until 2pm but we have managed to see quite a lot of the downtown area.  A very neat tidy city with lots of history.

Just south of downtown is the German Village, an area full of old brick buildings and cobblestone roads. Schmidt,s was recommended as the place to go for extra large cream puffs and Oompah bands. Very popular place....too much of a line up to get inside!!!

We came across a shop full of yummy stuff mostly made of chocolate. Just had to take a picture of the turtle chockies. Have had to resist the temptation to buy as I don't think they would survive the heat in the backpack for very long.

Down by the river was this fantastic fountain. The picture only shows about a quarter of it's size. The kids were having a ball running through the water. What an excellent idea. We were very tempted to take off the shoes and hop in. It is very hot here again.

We took a tour of the Santa Maria a replica of Christopher Columbus's ship. We had an excellent tour guide.
I think her name was Irene. There were several young kids on the tour and she kept them totally enthralled with stories of life on the boat back in the old days.

The single piece of rope Mike is holding has a frayed end and hangs over the side of the boat.  It was the toilet paper used by all the crew....yuk. Lucky this is only a replica boat!! We had a demonstration of the cannon and were shown around the captains luxury (!!) cabin. Following the tour we proceeded up to North Market where there was a food and wine festival going on.....what great timing....our two favourite things!! The market is a bit like our market but a lot smaller. Outside were stalls showcasing all sorts of wines. You buy a glass and 10 coupons for $10. This allows you 10 tastings (or a full glass if you want to use multiple coupons). You can wander around the market while sipping on your wine. Lots of tempting food. We grabbed some Indian takeaway food which went well with the wine. We finished dinner off with the best flavour icecream I have ever tasted. Rhubarb, lime and cardomon. Sounds strange but it was fantastic. I have made cardomon icecream before so I may have a try at recreating this one when we get home. We finished the day with a (medicinal) glass of Kahlua while skyping with the family. Nice one guys!!!

Well that was Columbus. Moving on the Cleveland tomorrow.