A fascinating journey could be only when you have a precise plan.
As you remember, in my previous article, I talked about my plans to go to Alabama. My plans came true and now I want to share with y'all my impressions. It was a two-day trip to two cities of Alabama - Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. These two cities are very different, but both are wonderful! The gorgeous university campus on the banks of the river creates a truly fabulous picture. The walls are red brick with white edges rise above the river, densely overgrown with centuries-old oaks. The university buildings are reminiscent of a fortress where knights learn how to wield the sword, and the beautiful ladies are taught etiquette and English literature.
Equally good was Lake Lurleen State Park. There you can feed many beautiful birds, or swim in a cool, clean lake, and lay down in a sandy beach. Also, you can rent paddle boats to view the beautiful surroundings from the water, or even to camp on the lake and make for dinner a delicious barbecue!
After unity with nature and walks on the fabulous campus of the University of Alabama, we drove to Birmingham. Our hotel was situated on a high hill, where we had a charming view of the city. After throwing our suitcase in our room, we went for dinner in a small, but very cozy restaurant in Downtown. During the drive from the top of our hill to the heart of Birmingham, we had laid our ears from the drastic changes in the local landscape. Accustomed to the swampy lowlands of Louisiana, we admired the open views from foothills to the valley. The God Vulcan glowed, towering over the city. Churches and temples of different faiths adorned the quaint Downtown of Birmingham. At first glance, their close proximity seems a little eclectic, but if you looking closely, you can see in this a kind of vintage charm. At night, Birmingham is very attractive and full of mysteries.
The next morning, we had a magnificent cultural program. We visited the Vulcan Park and Museum, which has a great viewing platform and a very interesting museum of the city's history. Then we went to the Birmingham Museum of Art, where we saw many different paintings, sculptures and furniture of America, Africa, Europe and Asia. Especially, we were surprised by the shop on the ground floor of the Museum, where it was possible to buy a real Russian Babushka, socks with prints of paintings by the great artists and many more interesting things.
Finally, we went to our goal destination, and the destination which we centered our whole trip around: The Whistle Stop Cafe in the Irondale! Our delight knew no bounds when we opened the doors of the café, where little Fannie Flagg once was love there fried green tomatoes. The café is open only for lunch, a couple of hours in the day, but the line of people waiting to taste the delicious and world-famous fried green tomatoes, fried okra and many other delicacies lined right up to the front door. When our turn to order came, the okra was already over, but we definitely wanted to try it. Cook said we have to wait, and the waiter would bring our okra a little later. When we enthusiastically dealt with the fried green tomatoes and chicken, looking at premery from the film and newspaper clippings hung on the walls, we were approached by a high gray-haired man with the laughing eyes. The man asked how do we like everything? We thought it was our waiter and informed him that to be really happy we're missing our fried okra. He laughed and said he was actually the owner, not a waiter, but he happily would tell our waiter that we are waiting for the okra! After a brief conversation, we thanked him and decided to ask about the history of his café.
Of course, we expected him to ask the usual question of where we come from. People who hear our accent always ask us about it. The owner of the Whistle Stop Café was no exception, and we told him our story. Then he told us his. It turns out that this cafe actually, belonged to Fannie Flagg's grant aunt, even before the World War II. The cafe was a great location, right by the train station, which to this day is preserved as a monument. The station is no longer operational for this thread go without stopping only freight trains. During the second world war aunt Fanny closed the café and went to Florida to help there to collect supplies to send to the front. After the war, my aunt from Florida came back with a friend and together they re-opened a café stop. Here, Fanny often visited in her childhood. Preserved and aunt's house, a large grey, two-story, located right behind the railway crossing, a five minute walk from the café. These two young ladies actually served as prototypes for the main characters of the novel - Idgie and Ruth. Until recently, Fannie Flagg even had her condo in her native Alabama and, upon returning to her homeland, she did not forget to look at the Whistle Stop Café for some excellent fried green tomatoes!
For the past six years, Fanny has since sold her condo and moved to the West Coast in California. Despite this, her native town of Irondale, scented with fried green tomatoes, the smell of the train station and the atmosphere descended from the pages of her novels—or rather, vice versa. The atmosphere of this town lurks here and there in the books Fannie Flagg.
Our journey was very full of unforgettable experiences and friendships. Read books, get in the car and go to a meeting of your adventures! And our next stop is Minneapolis.
