Saturday, January 3, 2009

Old Salem

Adam and I went to Old Salem, NC for an overnight stay at a B&B. We do this occasionally to get away, refocus our attention on our marriage, see some lovely sites, and relax. This attempt was a success. (Our last attempt, 2 years ago, was NOT. I had a stomach bug the whole time!)
Here we are in the parlor of the B&B, The Zevely House.

Yesterday and today we took brief walks around Old Salem, seeing the beautiful architecture and seeing the shops. Here's a shot of the Moravian Cemetery. The Moravians, and their church, settled Salem long ago. They lived simple lives, and believed that all were equal in God's sight. Thus, all the graves are identical, none more showy than others. And, as in their church, the men are buried on one side, the women on the other. Families are not arranged together. The latest one to die and be buried gets the next slot in the soil.

The parlor in our B&B was cozy, and Friday evening about 5 couples sat there, discussing destinations for dinner and other B&Bs they'd stayed in. It was nice conversation.

Adam sits in our cozy room. The house is old, and carefully divided into accommodations.

Here is a better shot of our room with its wonderful fireplace. It was on the bottom level, with a private entrance.

Although our two days in Old Salem were rather cool, the weather in NC has been unseasonably warm during the Christmas break. The poor forsythia bushes will be regretting their early attempt! They usually bloom in March, I think, so that shows you how warm it's been.

Here is a beautiful walk we found this morning, next to the cemetery. Old Salem was very peaceful and devoid of tourists this weekend, although our inn was nicely full.

In the heart of Old Salem is Salem College, a girls' college with about 1000 students. The grounds of the college, and the buildings, were absolutely lovely and cozy - I wanted to go back to college days! I couldn't help think of Anna attending there, although I have no idea if it is a good school! But it sure is pretty. This is a courtyard among the residence halls.

Zevely House entrance.

It is a lovely building.

The Salem Tavern across the street was highly recommended for dinner, but unfortunately it was closed for renovations. We went to "The Filling Station" instead, about 7 minutes away, and it was delicious! We highly recommend it.

This morning we stepped into the Winkler Bakery, perhaps the best known place in Old Salem for their fabulous thin ginger cookies. They actually come in many flavors. And the bakery makes breads and sweet breads. Adam had a good long talk with the baker.

Here are some of their delicious loaves. The rosemary bread is luscious!

2 comments:

justannie said...

i envy you two! what joy and bliss! when i see pictures like these, much as i LOVE my children, i wonder why i use all my vacations traveling to see them...

girlinsky04 said...

ooo, how FUN, reminds me of Europe, glad you both had a great time!