HVT Flashback: Duluth, Duluth

My flashback continues with the second full day of our Memorial Day weekend last year in DULUTH. (Such a sexy name for a town, don't you think?)



Our first stop was going to be a rose garden, but even though it was the very end of May, none of the roses were in bloom or even budding yet. (The temperatures were quite cool up there.) We wandered around the park anyway.





Then we made the scenic drive to Gooseberry Falls.





It was very crowded due to the holiday weekend.








kicking back in a quiet spot before we hike across the park to get a better view of Lake Superior

We had dinner at a place called Pizza Luce, which has locations in Minneapolis, too. They offer two different vegan cheeses: mozzarella and "rinotta." They were out of the mozz, so I had the rinotta, which was okay, but a gooey, stretchy mozz would have been better. The Duluth location was PACKED, which is a good sign of good food. I thought I had a picture from this place, but I can't find one now. Between Galactic Pizza and Luce, I would pick Galactic, but Luce is a great place (and if I remember correctly, the only place) to get some vegan pizza while you're in Duluth.

Our last meal in Minnesota was back in Minneapolis at a raw cafe named Ecopolitan. I love this place! It has such a homey, adorable atmosphere.



We started with drinks: The boyf ordered the Orange Julia (DELICIOUS) and I ordered a bell pepper tonic (Refreshing!).


I ordered the raw lasagna with a spinach-pineapple soup. Both were delicious and SO filling. I liked the soup slightly better.


The Boyf ordered the raw burritos.

I highly recommend Ecopolitan while you're in Minneapolis.

After lunch, we made the trek home. Minneapolis was a pleasant surprise of a city. I had no idea what to expect, but it's a very hip place. It's cyclist-, vegan-, and environmentally-friendly. There are beautiful parks and trails everywhere. The people were pretty friendly, too, though none of them had the typical Minnesota accents I was expecting, like the mom from "Bobby's World."

Recapping this trip has made me feel a little better, almost like I actually got out of the house. I think my cold is starting to let up. I haven't had a sore throat all day, which is progress, but my head is still stuffy and foggy. After spending all this time recapping this trip, maybe I'll move on to planning my next one...