My Morning in Matthews

I had the house to myself today and nothing pressing to do which is a rare thing on a Saturday morning but instead of reveling in the quiet I decided to go out for an adventure.  I hopped in the car and drove the 30 minutes or so down to Matthews, NC.  The cozy town center was a buzz.with pedestrians and traffic but there is ample public parking which makes life so much easier.  The most striking thing in town are all of the beautiful flowers in hanging baskets and large pots.  This added so much to the charm of the town.

My first stop was the Matthews Holiday Haus.  www.holiday-haus.com  This gift shop has so much more than just Christmas decor.  Pretty much every holiday is covered but also great gift items, jewelry, home decor and more.  I have started filling my house with little birds and found a pair of silver birds to rest somewhere in my home.  

There is not a lot of shopping.  There's a cool ol' timey hardware store, a bike shop and a Habitat ReStore to browse.  There was no antiquing to be found in this area that I could see.  However there was a wonderful farmer's market going on.  It was filled with farm fresh fruits and veggies, meats and eggs, plants and herbs, baked goods and handmade crafts.  I loaded up on peaches and squash as well as some tasty treats made by a Turkish couple.  

I decided for lunch I would try something totally new to me ... Korean food.  The restaurant/Korean market

combo is within walking distance but the road is very busy so I opted to drive.  PePeRo is very authentic

no doubt about that.  They don't have a web site.  It's in a non-descript building that I passed by the first time.  The young girl who waited on me was very helpful as I tried to navigate the menu. She suggested the Dol Sot Bi Bom Bob so I went with that.  It was very yummy but I wasn't quite sure what I was eating or how to eat it!  I struggled with the chopsticks and maybe because of that my server said to use my spoon ... that's how they eat it.  Don't know if that was true or if she just felt sorry for me but I gladly finished my meal with the spoon.  

Most of Matthews feels like a continuation of Charlotte but on the corner of W. John St. and S. Trade St. you can escape city life and get that small town feel.  It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday to myself.