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Thursday, March 26, 2015

The other side of Austin's SXSW - a magical, mystery tour: Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and Lammes candies

This past weekend, I took a spontaneous trip to Austin to look at two very intriguing exhibits at the Harry Ransom Center that were just shouting my name: Frida Kahlo and Alice and Wonderland.

The other side of Austin's SXSW - a magical, mystery tour: Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and Lammes candies

I mean, isn't that the best combination ever? And in Austin, no less!

So Saturday morning, I threw some things in my Mary Poppins bag and headed out into the pouring rain. It rained the whole way to Austin. But I took a break at Hruska’s Store & Bakery and had one of the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had; believe me, I did a taste comparison the following day at Shipley's. Chockfull of pecans, there are two types: glazed or iced. Make sure and get the ones with icing.

I made it into Austin, hitting some SXSW traffic but it wasn't too bad as I was headed to the University of Texas campus.

Making my way to the Harry Ransom Center, it was the perfect time of year to go to Austin. Spring is beautiful in Austin. The Texas Mountain Laurel was in full bloom, scenting the air with grape kool-aid--I kid you not!

The other side of Austin's SXSW - a magical, mystery tour: Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and Lammes candies

The exhibit was sensational. Although there was only one Frida Kahlo, Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, it was completely worth the trip. We weren't permitted to photograph it, so I took a photo of a promotional banner instead. It was much smaller than I expected it to be but the colors were so rich and vibrant.

The other side of Austin's SXSW - a magical, mystery tour: Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and Lammes candies

The Alice and Wonderland exhibit celebrates 150 years since its publication. The collection included the very first suppressed edition, original illustrations, all the different Alice publications, films, artwork and ephemera.



This was my favorite piece of art.

The other side of Austin's SXSW - a magical, mystery tour: Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and Lammes candies

Afterwards, I drove around to all of my old haunts--the only one left standing was that wretched bar, The Hole in the Wall. I finally stumbled upon the awesome Lammes candies. OMG. Longhorn clusters, chocolate easter bunnies, pecan fudge. Yumm-o.

The other side of Austin's SXSW - a magical, mystery tour: Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and Lammes candies

Take a look at this candy case!!

The other side of Austin's SXSW - a magical, mystery tour: Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and Lammes candies

I ended up spending the night in San Marcos, eating pimiento cheese sandwiches. By the way HEB makes the best pimiento cheese!

The next day, I headed home, taking the scenic route. Isn't this a great look-out? It had finally stopped raining and and the sky was such a pretty blue ...

The other side of Austin's SXSW - a magical, mystery tour: Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and Lammes candies

And just for grins, I took this photo for my friend, Jim Ross, this historical marker.

The other side of Austin's SXSW - a magical, mystery tour: Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and Lammes candies



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