Austin - part 2 - Saturday 27th October

Woke up about 9am & went to turn on tablet only to find the battery was completely dead.  Put tablet on charge, had a shower & got ready for a day of sight-seeing with a friend.  After about an hour I was able to turn my tablet on, so I checked emails, checked facebook and updated my blog.  My friend arrived about 12pm and we headed out.  First stop was Jack in the Box to get something for lunch (I love that place!) then we went to the Bob Bullock The Story of Texas Museum (aka Texas State History Museum).  I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't allowed to take photos in the museum, but it's not the first museum I've been told that.  It is a 3 storey museum and by the time we got about a third of the way around the 3rd floor a security guard came & told us it was 10 minutes until closing time.  What??  I looked at my watch and sure enough it was 5.50pm.  OMG!!  I didn't know we had been there that long.  We quickly rushed around the rest of the 3rd floor then made our way out.  After that we stopped by the State Capitol Building, which is a really ornate & gorgeous building, but couldn't go inside as they had closed, so we walked around the grounds which is like a big park, and guess what I saw - that's right a squirrel!  And not just one but two. And then as we walked around more I saw more squirrels.  They really are just such cute critters.  Anyway, we made our way back to the car and headed to dinner at Pappadeaux's Seafood Restaurant - a place my flatmate had raved about after his visit here - and I have to say I was a little disappointed as I only had an appetiser (entree to us) and was very full, there was NO WAY I could have an entree (main to us) as well, so I settled on having to come back the next night and just had a dessert, of which I only ate about a quarter, and took the rest to go.  Oh, I did have a drink & a cocktail as well.  When we felt our stomachs settle just a bit we got up & headed back to the hotel with the thought of maybe heading into Austin's 6th Street for a bit of partying, but once we got back to the hotel & sat down there was no moving either of us.  So we settled in for the night.  Shelli got into bed & was fast asleep by 11pm, I stayed up a bit later, sorted & renamed photos, checked facebook & updated my blog and headed to bed about midnight.

The center of the outside of the museum.

A bit further back to get the huge star in the picture.  The 'Lone Star' is emblazoned everywhere in Texas.

At the grounds of the State Capitol Building - the Texas Peace Officers Memorial.

One side of the State Capitol Building.  

The original gates built for the State Capitol Building.  Note the stars.  There is also a fence that goes a part way round the grounds as well.  It used to go all the way around but some parts have been removed as the grounds have been redeveloped.

Ulrich sitting on the lawn outside the State Capitol Building.

Part of the grounds of the State Capitol Building - very park like, very serene, very nice, full of memorials.

Squirrel!!  The tail is smaller than other squirrels I have seen.  So, everything is not bigger in Texas.  LOL

The Alamo Memorial.

A Memorial to Volunteer Firemen.

The State Library & Archives Building across the road from the State Capitol Building.

Door to the Library.

Heading in for dinner!!

A cocktail called "Swamp Thing" it comes in 2 sizes - regular & large - I had the large - I didn't have any more drinks after I finished it.

My entree (appetiser) shrimp & crawfish foundeux - as it turned out this was my dinner as well.

Shelli with her entrees (appetisers) steamed mussels and breaded alligator strips.  I did try a small bit of the alligator strips, with most of the breading removed as Shelli said it was a bit spicy, and all I can tell you is that the alligator tasted like spices.  LOL

I did have a dessert - Praline Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream & Bourbon cream.  I only managed to eat about a quarter of it.  Shelli managed to eat about a third of hers.  We brought them back to the hotel to finish later.