A couple months ago I made reservations for an overnight stay in a Bed & Breakfast in southern Indiana. Since Ed has been out of work for over a year, it didn't make sense to spend money on a full blown vacation, but a weekend away sounded wonderful to both of us. My job has been overly stressful lately and Ed will be starting a new job (WooHoo!) this next week, so it seemed like the perfect time.
The B&B that I reserved a couple months ago is about a 2+hour drive from Indianapolis. We drove down Friday mid-morning, took our time and stopped along the way for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants - Key West Shrimp House in Madison IN. We've stayed in Madison several times, always at a wonderful B&B there called the Schussler House (the first time 14 years ago). This time, though, I thought it might be good to try another small Indiana historic town with quaint B&B's for a change of pace. I booked a room at the Rosemont Inn in Vevay IN (back in July).
When we drove up to the Inn we were greeted with a beautiful historic home with a fabulous view of the Ohio river.
But, we also noticed this sign in the front yard:
There was a gentlemen on the grounds that came to talk to us when we drove up (the gardener, maybe?) and he let us know that the B&B was closed and had been for the past 30 days! No one had contacted us (by phone or email). I called the realtor to get some more details and found out the establishment was for sale (complete with all the furnishings) and the previous owners are now in federal prison. It didn't look like we'd be staying there on Friday night!
(the view of the Ohio river from the B&B - our room would've overlooked this view!).
After checking out another B&B close by recommended by the gardener and finding it was full for the weekend, we began to panic a little that we would have to return home. (Staying at a hotel does not have the same finesse that a B&B does - especially when we were expecting the B&B experience for the weekend).
I decided to call Dave at The Schussler House and, fortunately for us, he had a room available for the night! We were very glad! We drove back to Madison - familiar stomping grounds for us - and checked in to our room. Then we proceeded to poke around the town, shopping, enjoying the gorgeous Autumn weather, and looking for a good place to have dinner.
Our room at the Schussler House - we stayed in the Blue Room.
Thomas Family Winery - the music corner
It was perfect weather for walking up and down the streets in this small town.
This cute kitty sat in a store window, bathing and completely ignoring us. He/she had the most unusual amber colored eyes, but I couldn't get a photo of him/her looking straight at me.
Shoe shopping for Ed - needed for new job he's starting this week!
The ones he chose to purchase.
On to dinner that evening at Bistro One - clearly the best restaurant in town!
The atmosphere is so inviting and the aroma (from the fabulous food cooking) permeates all of your senses when you walk into the restaurant.
I chose the Italian Gnocchi, a dish I've never had before. Ed opted for the Chef's Fancy, which was a special dish that the chef (Nick) prepared daily. This time it was Mahi Mahi.
The gnocchi was a perfect blend of spices, wonderful potato pillows matched with tomatoes, spinach, basil, kalamata olives, garlic, and flavorful asiago cheese. I loved it!
Ed's mahi mahi was pan-seared with a honey butter sauce, topped with a bursting flavor of orange zest souffle. He loved it and ate the entire entree, along with a sampling of this:
roasted veggies (potatoes, carrots, and green beans) with garlic pasta.
Strolling the sidewalks at dusk was a must to work off some of the calories we devoured! The food was excellent, the walk invigorating, and the night air refreshing.
We slept very well that night.
It was so quiet - no TV or internet in our B&B. Some people would probably be put off by that, but I enjoyed the peacefulness and opportunity to talk with my husband and read before going to sleep.
In the morning, we had every intention of getting up to walk down to the coffee house (about 6 or so blocks from our B&B), but it was downright chilly (about 41deg) and we wanted to carry our laptops so we drove. Breakfast at the B&B wasn't served until 9am and since we're early risers normally, we decided to head out for a hot beverage and catch up on the news and email.
Comfortable couchy chairs at the coffee shop
I tried both the green tea latte and the chai latter over the course of our overnight stay. I also found a special little tea that I'll share soon in another post.
After enjoying our morning hot drinks and realizing that we still had some time before breakfast would be served back at the B&B, we decided to walk down to the Farmer's Market in the town square.
There were about ten vendors set up, with some folk musicians warming up and an outdoor cafe serving up breakfast, too.
Lots of Autumn fare, tasty baked goods (an Amish vendor was there, too), some watercolor paintings/cards, and other homemade goodies. We bought a few tomatoes, a couple hand-crocheted dishcloths, and a little sample bag of homemade corn nuts (Ed loves these!).
This beautiful table greeted us when we arrived back at the Bed & Breakfast. There was only one other couple staying and we met them at breakfast. The food was fabulous (no photos, I got caught up in the conversation at the table and totally forgot to take them!). Dave served a fruit cup of pineapple, blueberries, and bananas along with sour cream muffins. The main dish was a quiche with bread cubes, several cheeses, eggs, cream, peppers, and jalapenos (not exactly low-fat!) and a couple sausage patties on the side (which I snuck over to Ed's plate!). We sat at the table, eating and talking for over an hour and a half. Great company and wonderful food - our stay at the Schussler House did not disappoint at all! We highly recommend it if you are ever in Madison IN.
We drove back to Indianapolis later that afternoon and we were greeted by drizzly rain. So glad it held off so our weekend was not hampered with bad weather.
We had a wonderful time - so relaxing and fun. Even though it started out contrary to what we were expecting, we had a great time!
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