Part 6 of our holiday - A few days in Dallas with friends.

We arrived in Dallas to be met by my friend, who I have known since I was 16!  I worked for her father when I left school.  Great excitement for us both!! I have promised that no photos of her or her family would go on the web, but frankly that was the best part of our visit! At other times, she took us to as many interesting places in the city as was possible in the few days we had there.

The striking Margaret Hunt Hill bridge (named after an  heiress and philanthropist) which spans the Trinity River; I can't explain why there were no other cars in view on that June Friday afternoon! Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the world renowned Spanish architect/engineer, the bridge spans 368 metres (1206 feet) and carries six lanes of traffic between the Dallas CBD and the rapidly regenerating west city suburbs. This is the first of three planned bridges and the second one is under construction at present.   .  The total cost of this one was said to be $182 million.

After the last "empty" shot, here is some real Dallas traffic!  Loads of different lanes - I think there were 4 or 5 going our way! You can see the golden glassed twin towers of the Campbell Centre in the background. See more information below.

A closer view of one of the towers. For those of you who remember the '70s TV soap opera Dallas, this was the first Ewing Oil building used in the opening five episodes!

Dallas County Courthouse, built in 1892 of red sandstone with grey rusticated marble facing to the "first floor" (our "ground floor," but that's what it's called in the US -a bit confusing!) and similar accents around windows.  Also known as the Old Red Courthouse, it is now the Old Red Museum, housing local history exhibits. Very elaborate and obviously a demonstration of the oil wealth on which the city is based.A newer courthouse was built nearby in 1966.

Dallas Perot Museum of Nature and Science opened at the end of 2012. Ross Perot, a Texas industrialist, is famous for twice running for US President, in 1992 and 1996. Designed by  Morphosis Architects, the building was conceived as a large cube floating over a landscaped plinth.  It features a 54-foot continuous flow escalator housed within a 150-foot glass casing that extends diagonally outside the building cube. I'm sure the very modern and startling design is popular with many Dallas residents!

Formerly the Texas School Book Repository and without doubt the most infamous building in Dallas, whose sixth floor was the site from which Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated JF Kennedy  in November 1963. The top two floors house a museum featuring the life and times of arguably one of the US's greatest presidents.

Dallas Museum of Art. The fountain offered welcome wafts of cool water vapour to provide some relief from the high 30sC (90sF) temperatures.

Inside,  the spaces are large, calm and restful. The Large seated nude in bronze by the French artist Henry Matisse (1869 – 1954) caught my eye!

Outside in the sheltered garden, a bronze of Eve by another Frenchman, Auguste Rodin, (1840-1917).  

The Whole Foods Market in the northern Dallas suburbs. The city is extremely wealthy and everything for sale appears to be of the highest quality (and price!).

I don't think I've ever seen such cosseted vegetables! Seems a shame to buy something and spoil the immaculate display!

Cheese from all over the world and a display to rival anything we have here, in the country of 400 local cheeses!

Wine.  Naturally we had to pick the section with French wine - but it's not cheap. These bottles start at about $20 each! The store also has huge displays of olives, coffee beans and a fresh soup counter where you can help yourself, to 8 or so different kinds, which you ladle into insulated cups from giant metal churns! This place has everything you could think of!

The nearby North Park 50 Mall.  A very upmarket shopping mall that officially opened 2 July 1965.  They completed a $250 million expansion in 2006. You could buy a handbag for $2,500, and we were told people frequently do, after they've first visited their personal trainer for some exercise at the gym!

A spotless North Park  pedestrian mall with US sized eye-catching models.

France is not forgotten; perfumes and bathing accessories.

Amazing water features are everywhere, with live birds, turtles and all kinds of greenery - such exotic plants and flowers!

Turtle at close quarters.  The animals appear to be very happily located here and are obviously well cared for, swimming around in pristine crystal clear water. Well, that's a quick view of our stay in Dallas - vibrant and energetic, but not a city for those light of wallet!

Also see my daily diary HERE

and My Life Before Charente (updated  25 September 2016)