Georgia the Explorer (rhymes as much as Dora...)

Today, we woke up bright and early and decided to explore our new city.  Georgia and I have hardly been out of our little pristine cocoon of Cahaba Heights (not that it bothered me much), so we wanted to see more of true Birmingham!  We decided a good place to start would be Vulcan Park.

You can find more information here: http://www.visitvulcan.com/

"Vulcan, Birmingham Alabama's colossal statue is the world's largest cast iron statue and considered one of the most memorable works of civic art in the United States. Designed by Italian artist Giuseppe Moretti and cast from local iron in 1904 for display at the World's Fair in St. Louis, it has overlooked the urban landscape of Alabama's largest city since the 1930s.  Vulcan is the Roman god of fire and forge (a forge is a shop with a furnace where metal is heated and hammered out into useful items). Birmingham is unique because of the availability of the raw materials necessary for making iron: coal, iron ore and limestone."

Baby Girl had a great time!

You can purchase a ticket for the elevator and ride to the top for an even better view of downtown Birmingham and the surrounding areas.  We are trying to keep our little adventures cheap (as in free), so we didn't purchase a ticket.  I'm sure we'll be back again sometime to see the view from the top.

Daddy and daughter with a view of downtown.  So sweet!

The visitor center with a nice museum for which we also did not purchase a ticket.  Maybe if GK were older...

I was going to say "Buns of Steel", but it's actually iron and James said there is a bit of a difference.  Oh well!

View from the back with the elevator.

It was a neat experience, but a bit of a bust.  We planned to be there for an hour or two, but, apparently, they use the term 'park' quite loosely as it really is just a summit with the tower and statue.  We thought there were more areas of green space where you can walk around and explore for free, but not so much.  Glad we did it, though!

Since our first stop only took about 20 minutes, we tried another park nearby, but I wouldn't allow James to stop the car (kinda ghetto), so we decided to just drive around and get a feel for the area.  On our way to one of the hospitals where James will be working, James mentioned that an 80 year old doctor (may be an exaggeration) that spoke at their lectures yesterday mentioned stopping to pay his respects to Coach Bear Bryant's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Bryant) grave at a cemetery near the hospital.  He said he did that every time he came to town due to his deep love for the coach and the University of Alabama.  Apparently, this is such a common ritual among fans that the cemetery marked the road to his grave site with a red stripe so it can easily be found.  I was intrigued and feeling oddly adventurous, so when we came to the cemetery, I said let's do it - in  honor of our Texas A&M Junction Boys!  So we did.  Don't judge.

Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, AL

The road marked with red.

Interesting gravesite for Confederate solders.

Closer view.

Paul William 'Bear' Bryant's grave.  Rather nondescript.  The coke bottle makes me think it was his favorite?

The red arrows to mark where his gravestone is located.

Now, on to something less bizarre. Here is Princeton, where James will be working.

Princeton Hospital

Various photos around town:

If only Georgia had longer hair...and was a Princess...and African...

In downtown Birmingham.  Right after we were almost t-boned when a man ran a red light!  SCARY!

Next weekend we are thinking about trying out Oak Mountain State Park, weather permitting!  Tomorrow we are heading to The Church at Brookhills.  We are so excited!

Let's all make sure we thank our fathers tomorrow!  They do so much for us!