Sign at the Buffalo Bayou Park
I mean, why stay inside where it’s warm and dry when you can be out wandering the streets of Houston on a damp and dreary day? Exactly!
We had planned to start our Houston visit with a tour of the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern which looks likes fun to see but I didn’t want to commit to a time by buying tickets online on Saturday for the tour. Big mistake. It seemed we were not alone in choice for a wet weather day excursion because when we arrived on site, all the tours for Sunday were sold out. I am majorly bummed about this.
Lesson learned…but also we avoid a crowd of people so not such a bad thing.
So we spent a few minutes wandering around the surrounding Buffalo Bayou Park which was lovely, more so due to the mist and fog. It was also pretty empty except for some die hard joggers and a few people who, like us, were out enjoying the moment despite in the persistent dampness.
Houston skyline from the park
Our next stop, and the real reason we drove an hour into the city, was the Hobbit Cafe. I love The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies (bibliophiles don’t judge me, I’m a visual person) so when Dave asked if I wanted to check out the cafe, I was ecstatic. Upon reflection, it’s safe to say I’m a sucker for most themed cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs. I will not be embarrassed by this.
We sat outside, next to the wood railing while the clouds continued to be indecisive about the precipitation level…mostly it just drizzled quietly, leaving us dry for the moment.
This is where I detour for a momentary side note. As I tend to be excitable about taking pictures, I often fail to think about my surroundings…such as how light rain and dampness will affect the electronics in a camera. I stopped to look at the photos I had been taking around this time only to see my camera glitch…and then the panic set in. Needless to say after removing the battery and SD card, I placed the whole thing in a dry, safe location in our vehicle and continued taking photos with my more water resistant phone.
Another lesson learned this day…now back to the tale at hand.
The atmosphere here is endearing. Outside is not as quaintly shire-ish as the interior, but still, it’s charming.
And they feed you like a Hobbit!
Not only was there plenty of food, it was delicious. Add to that we ordered a flight of ale each since they have a large selection of meads to choose from, this is the first place we’ve been to where you can buy a flight of mead, and I was a happy hobbit indeed.
With full stomachs and happy hearts we headed to our next destination – Hermann Park (just like the Munster).
Parking turned out to be an adventure in itself. Almost all of the parking lot entrances were closed as people were being herded through a single point of entry into the major lot. Turns out, it was a Covid testing day somewhere in the vicinity so I assume parking isn’t a normal issue.
Hermann Park is a great family friendly place to visit. It has a zoo, an open air train ride, a Japanese garden and playground. As the weather was tolerably bleak, we were part of only a handful of tourists that day. Something I will not complain about as it made social distancing easy.
So few people meant the train ride was an inviting way to see the park. There were so few of us in fact, we each had a car to ourselves. Dave and I settled into the last seat of the caboose, ready for a pleasant trip as the weather was being momentarily cooperative.
Leaving the station
It was such a light drizzle as the train chugged out of the station…then the clouds decided to have some fun by releasing a torrent of rain and wind.
There we were. Trapped in a open air train car getting drenched. And laughing like hyenas as we slid from one side to the other, huddled as close together as possible an a vain attempt to stay less wet. The train employee at the front of our caboose gave us a look that clearly stated he questioned our sanity.
Perhaps halfway through the ride, with Dave more drenched than I, he suggested we use the compact umbrella I had in my purse to help fend off the rain. A brilliant, mostly effective suggestion that elicited more giggling from us as we moved the umbrella around to follow the shifting direction the train and rain.
You can see the water pouring off the gutter after we disembarked.
Naturally, moments later it the rain dissapated.
We decided to venture to the Japanese Gardens…we were already wet, it wouldn’t matter if the deluge came again. This is a lovely little stop with places to rest (both indoors and out) if one is so inclined.
Our last planned stop for the day was to see the mosaics at Smither Park. I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I hear park, I think of wide open space requiring a fair amount of walking.
Smither Park is not that.
It’s a very tiny place, long and narrow with a large pavilion in the center, accompanied by a couple of concrete tables and benches and a set of swings. Oh, did it take my breathe away.
Everything that isn’t living is either covered in mosaics or is in the process of being covered. The place is stunning.
There is a long wall spanning most of the park length several feet high that is a gallery of mosaic images, each one is unique. By far, my favorite was the broken mirror mosaic. It’s a splintering of reality.
By now it was getting late and we still had that hour drive home but…we decided we needed a sweet pick me up before leaving the city. Tasked with finding a treat both of us would enjoy, I discovered a place called Treacherous Leches. Treacherous indeed! We questioned my choice as we drove through a somewhat questionable area of town which led us into a more industrial area which finally led into an arts district.
A small corner store, Henderson and Kane, held the sought after sweets…and so much more. There was a plethora of handmade, unique deliciousness inside. We sought treats, mine was a mouthwatering red velvet leches, but left with so much more.
It was a delightful and delectable way to end our time in Houston.
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