Festival of the Nations

Humus = awesome

Yummy Greek:)

Where the heck is this?

What can I say, I love the U.K.

View of the park with all the food booths

Classic, probably most familiar with this one!

     One of the great perks of where we live in STL is Tower Grove Park! We live about 2 blocks east of the park and it is an awesome place to go run, play tennis, or just find a shady spot to sit and read or journal. (Ok, so I haven't actually done this last part yet because it's been too stinkin' hot but hopefully the fall will provide time for this!) Anyway, this weekend the park had a huge Festival of Nations where people from all over the city came and set up booths showcasing their country and heritage. Literally, there are people here from all over!! Some of the places where pretty obscure and I couldn't find them on a map if I had to but I'm just amazed I live in such a diverse city.  Being from a small Southern town this is a big deal y'all!! I wish Hace and I could have spent more time at the festival but unfortunately I had work and he had orientation this weekend. However we were able to go by Sunday after church for a little bit.  We mainly explored the food section and made lunch off of pad Thai, and Argentine and Peruvian empanadas. It was delicious!! I was super bummed we couldn't go to the arts and crafts section or watch any of the dancing/musical performances but maybe next year. Here are some photos that highlight the festival and some of the countries represented.

Soulard Farmers Market

Outside the Farmer's Market

A few of the yummy stands...

           Maybe it's because I love history and I am really a nerd at heart, or maybe I just love fresh produce and funky neighborhoods, but whatever the case may be, perhaps my favorite place so far in St. Louis is the Soulard Farmer's market. Now for a little history lesson, the Soulard Farmer's market is the oldest farmer's market west of the Mississippi. It began in 1779 (that's before the Louisiana purchase, when France still owned the land!) The owners of the plot of land were the Soulards and they set aside an area for farmers to come and sell their produce. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 things got a little hairy with the ownership of the land but eventually the Soulard's were able to set aside 2 blocks that were to be used exclusively as a farmer's market, which is what they still are used for today. This market is open year-round from Wednesday to Saturday and things are unbelievably cheap there. Today, for example, I bought lettuce, 2 tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, 4 huge peaches, jalapenos, onion, limes, and 2 avocados for a grand total of $14!!! When you are trying to conserve money you can't get much better than that! The neighborhood is also just really cool. Obviously it was originally a French neighborhood which is evident in the architecture and beautiful buildings and churches. There are also cool restaurant,  pubs, and even a cute gift-shop, reminiscent but far from my beloved plainjane's! We are excited that this neighborhood celebrates Mardi Gras each year with a parade. We will definitely be attending and hope it will be every bit as exhilarating as the Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile, Alabama where we have celebrated the past two years. All-in-all Soulard is a great neighborhood with cool shops, restaurants, and history. I am so glad we found the nearby farmer's market in our first week here!

STL Zoo

HIPPO!

Caught the elephant eating, score!

Cheetah's, cooler seeing them in the African Safari but you'll do!

Tiger for my Auburn friends

   One of the awesome things about St. Louis is the awesome parks. We live close to Tower Grove Park which is awesome but small in comparison to Forest Park.  Forest Park is huge and reminds me of Central Park (minus all the skyscrapers!) In the park there is a Zoo, Art Museum, History Museum and a place where they have plays.  The great part is, the Zoo and Museums are FREE! With Hace starting back to school full-time we don't have much extra for extravagant outings these days so the park provides several options for fun, cheap dates.  When Missy, Hace's sister, came into town we did some touristy things and also visited the Zoo. This was my second trip to the Zoo but I'm sure it's far from the last.  The Zoo has a pretty impressive selection of animals. Ok, let's be honest, the only other Zoo I have been to is the Atlanta Zoo so what do I really know? But comparatively, it seems legit. My personal favorite are the hippos! They are so fascinating to me because they are huge but swim through the water like champs. Sometimes they do like to fight each other which is entertaining but sometimes I get nervous, haha. The Zoo also has a good number of cats but often they are not out. We did get to see the tiger and I took a pic for my Auburn sister and friends. He's almost as cool as LSU's Mike.  Hace's childhood dream was to be a Zoo-keeper so needless to say, he loves the Zoo.  I'm honestly not a huge animal-lover but he has gotten me more into it. Definitely would recommend the Zoo for a fun outing. Especially with kids!! Friends and family come visit and we promise to take you:)