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| Trim coast guard vessel from Japan - we didn't get to board this one, so I didn't get to ask which side of Japan was their home port or how many thousands of gallons of diesel it took to get to Baltimore. |
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| Dewarucci from India - could you imagine being in the Naval Academy and your first duty was sailing a classic masted vessel around the world? |
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| Bom dia! Cisne Brava - the best music in port came off the Brazilian ship. Go figure. |
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| And on the way out we saw a couple having bridal pictures taken in a parking garage. Of all the legitimate beauty spots in Baltimore where you could have your wedding photos taken, why a garage? I like to imagine there was some sweetly romantic story behind it - like she came back from yet another awful internet dating site date to find a flat battery and he, local monthly passholder and garage hero, gave her a jumpstart. |
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| And this . . . It wasn't that hot this day and I wondered why the chlorine didn't burn the duck's feet . . . |
And, last but not least, the Greenbelt Greenman Festival - about forty-five minutes southwest of town in Greenbelt Maryland, this is a celebration of the earthy, the natural and the fun (with free music!):
There are three shops and a fourth on the way. Personally, I go to the one in Timonium, which is right next to a Light Rail stop and a short hop from Belle Cose. Not only does the shop have a wide selection of brewed coffee (8 choices - half regular, half decaf) every day, but they also roast on site in lovely curved pans that keep the ends of the beans from burning, so you get the joys of smelling real roast coffee.
They also make fresh sandwiches to order, and have a fresh case full of salads, gourmet muffins, croissants and gelato and custom grind your coffee at the time of purchase. My favourite every day coffee is the Fancy Bourbon Santos - smooth, low acid, and flavourful. When I serve it to guests they always ask what it is and I wind up pulling a BC&T card from my cupboard and telling them to go buy some.
In fact, it is so close to the light rail that I'll be going there today on my way to Privateer Day.
There's also a shop in Frederick for Dotty!
And one in Annapolis, which is the closest they've come to Ned, so far!
And soon there will be one in Columbia, which will give Leslie the option to choose between there and Annapolis!
And it's not just coffee - it's also home to some incredible teas - available loose or bagged from such venerable names as The Eastern Shore Tea Company, Bewley's, and Twinings, as well as hip newcomers to the world of tea like Stash. All the loose teas come with a reusable muslin bag and there are an incredible number of accessories in my local shop - from tea balls to china tea pots to goofy mugs.
Oh, yes, and did I mention that the Timonium shop is right in the same block as Glarus? Coffee and Truffles, oh my.
I'm glad my eyes aren't that good in real life, because it would probably irk me if I could see the lightning rod every single time I looked at him.
After a few more random pictures on and around Charles Street, including this one, of the wall between 310 and 312:
. . . where you can just make out the old advertising painted on the wall of Number 310. What was it? What used to be housed there? and what took out the roof of the old building?. . . I wandered on down to the Convention Center for the ACC Show. Unwilling to pay $20 for event parking for a couple of hours, I parked on the street by Camden Yards for a buck an hour at the meters. This gave me a chance to nip into the Comic Museum and pick up a couple of postcards for my cousin, which I totally forgot to do the day I went with my mother. (By the way, Geppi's is still offering half-price admission on Thursdays)
I took my camera into the show and then was so busy talking I didn't manage to snap a photo of anybody, but they know who they are and I was glad to meet them. Some of the best of the Baltimore Etsy team were there, as well as some glorious artists from the rest of the country.
After an hour of being totally overwhelmed by the size of the place and repeatedly tripping outrageously fashionable women as I stopped in mid-stride to stare at the banners and regain my bearings, I fled into the equally crowded, but intensely less nerve-wracking streets of downtown Baltimore.
I did not take a picture of the clock at camden yards, because I was loathe to get run over by a train, which is what it would have taken to get far enough away to see over the UPS truck.
After moving my car to fells point, well S. Caroline, where they have four hour meters, I happily snapped my way about the waterfront.
And then it was time for lunch!
I checked out Nanami's menu in the window, but somehow, for some reason the gods cannot explain I was not in the mood for sushi.
I was to discover, over on Thames Street, the reason. There's a tiny little restaurant with a posh look called Meli's. I was about to walk right by, because it looks like the kind of place that 'ladies who lunch' go to, and I'm kind of scruffy. Not Bill Simmonite scruffy, but I tend to make toffs uncomfortable when I wander in with my big boots, big coat and exuding the idea that I belong anywhere I happen to be, and by the way so do my gian bag, books, hat, etc.
Then I saw the sign on the door emblazoned with that magic word: patisserie.
There was, of course, no holding me back at that point.
Walking in the door all I saw was the baked goods case and didn't even remember there was a restaurant behind until the sweet girl at the counter asked if I'd like to sit in the bar. Well, of course I'd like to sit in the bar!
The restaurant is tasteful, with patterned swirls on the carpet living contentedly in muted harmony with the stars on the walls; the lighting is subdued but you can still see what your eating, the music is light jazz at a good volume.
The bar is bright, with a faux-marble painted backwall, and a large window on to the street. The bar's tiny, and the drinks must cost a fortune because I didn't see anything that could be considered rail, unless we're calculating whosesale cost-per-bottle. In that case the cheapest things I could see were the Bushmill's and the bitters.
And then she brought me my lunch:
At $8 it was all I wanted to spend on lunch, and it certainly had enough calories to make up for lunch and dinner, and it was totally worth every molecule!
The picture does not do the raspberries justice. The mascarpone was just right - custardy smooth and just tart enough. The glaze on the berries was sweet but not that cloying sweet you find so often.
Needless to say, I was pleased. I didn't even look at my book while I ate, to be distracted from the deliciousness would be a blasphemy.
There were another couple of hours of snap-happy touristing, but I'm tired of writing now, and I'll bet a dollar you are tired of reading, so those will just have to wait for another day. I got some great shots of architectural anchors that I cannot wait to upload.
Oh, and for Debby who wanted to see my bookbag:
It's got elastic at the sides, two pockets within and a flap to hide the contents. When I get around to it, I'll have the rest in the 'renew' section of my shop.
and 
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You may not be keen on outdoor seating this time of year, but inside is just as great - bright, loud, and cheerful!
You can find more about Sofi's, including the full menu and other locations at http://sofiscrepes.com
