In this Cary Spotlight Issue…

💭Spotlight Hook Trivia

🔥 Daily Quote

🧭 Norway's New Vertigo-Inducing Attraction: The Stigull Floating Staircase

✈️ Lufthansa Begins Direct Flights from RDU to Frankfurt, Boosting Global Connectivity

🗿 The Stone Guardians of Rapa Nui: Easter Island’s Fight Against Time and History

😋 Savoring the Best of Cary: 7 Must-Try Indian Cuisine Restaurants

😋Tasty Trend: Load Baked Potato Casserole (Emerson Pauley Video)

🏛️ Support Cary Local Businesses

Question: Where is the world's largest chocolate shop located?

(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)

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Norway's New Vertigo-Inducing Attraction: The Stigull Floating Staircase

The small village of Loen in Norway now boasts the Stigull ladder, a "floating" staircase that offers adventurers stunning views from high above the Nordfjord. 

Accessible as part of a via ferrata climbing route, this attraction is not for the faint-hearted but rewards climbers with breathtaking panoramas and facilities at Mount Hoven’s peak.

Safety is a priority, with all climbers securely attached to safety wires during their ascent. The ladder is expected to be a major draw for the region, enhancing its reputation as a destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Read more

Lufthansa Begins Direct Flights from RDU to Frankfurt, Boosting Global Connectivity

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) has initiated direct flights to Frankfurt, Germany with Lufthansa, enhancing its international flight operations.

The inaugural flight, which landed at RDU on Thursday afternoon, is part of a broader plan to increase the airport’s global connectivity. This service, which will operate five times a week using Airbus A330s, received support from local educational institutions and businesses, demonstrating the area's growing importance as a travel hub.

The airport's strategy includes offering incentives to airlines to establish new international routes, a move that has previously succeeded with other carriers like Icelandair. This development is accompanied by the launch of other international services, including flights to Panama City and Mexico City. Read more

Here's an overview of some notable nonstop flights you can access from RDU

The Stone Guardians of Rapa Nui: Easter Island’s Fight Against Time and History

Easter Island, with its iconic stone moai statues gazing inland across its windswept landscapes, encapsulates the essence of isolation and the enigmatic allure of ancient civilizations. Known to its indigenous people as Rapa Nui or "Te Pito o Te Henua" (the navel of the world), this speck of land in the vast Pacific is essentially a mound of consolidated volcanic ash and lava from three submarine volcanoes.

Scholars believe that the initial settlers of Easter Island hailed from Polynesia, possibly the Marquesas Islands or Mangareva, around 500 AD. This was part of a broader migratory movement that dispersed Polynesian culture across the South Pacific. The subsequent centuries until the island's European 'discovery' in 1722 by Dutch admiral Jacob Roggeveen remain shrouded in mystery. The islanders, upon first contact with Europeans, were unable to recount how they had managed to transport or construct the massive moai statues or decode their own rongo rongo tablets—a hieroglyphic script lost to time.

Despite the island's turbulent history marked by ecological collapse and cultural shifts—such as the transition to the Birdman cult at Orongo—the Rapa Nui people endured numerous hardships, from overpopulation and resource depletion to European contact that led to disease and slavery.

Today, Easter Island is a living museum protected under the Rapa Nui National Park, where efforts to replant native forests and preserve cultural heritage continue. The island offers a range of outdoor activities from hiking and mountain biking to scuba diving, thanks to its rich marine ecosystem and clear waters.

Despite its remote location and haunting history, Easter Island remains a profound testament to human resilience and the mysteries of our ancient past. Build your ideal Easter Island trip.

Editor’s Note: According to the Easter Island Statue Project, this head of a stone figure (moai) was collected for the Smithsonian in 1886 from a rare inland ceremonial site called "Ahu O'Pepe". It is carved of consolidated volcanic ash or volcanic tuff (from the quarry Rano Raraku).

Just out of curiosity…

In 2024, the British Museum is facing social media campaign to return their Easter Island statues which were taken from the Chilean territory of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, in 1868.

Savoring the Best of Cary: 7 Must-Try Indian Cuisine Restaurants

If you're craving Indian cuisine in Cary, North Carolina, you're in for a treat. Here are seven highly recommended authentic indian cuisine restaurants in Cary, NC, each offering mouthwatering flavors and experiences:

1. Saffron Indian Cuisine: Located at 2048 Kildaire Farm Rd, Cary, NC, Saffron Indian Cuisine is known for its traditional Indian cooking methods and fresh ingredients. The menu includes classic curries and tandoor-cooked kebabs.

2. Biryani Maxx Indian Cuisine: This spot at 590 E Chatham St, Cary, is celebrated for its Hyderabadi Dum Biryani and offers a typical range of Indian appetizers and entrees.

3. Kathmandu Kitchen: Located at 1275 NW Maynard Rd, Cary, this restaurant offers a blend of Indian and Nepalese cuisines, with favorites like Chicken Tikka Masala and various Biryani dishes.

4. Mirchi's Indian Kitchen & Bar: At 328 Sembler Ln, Cary, Mirchi's is known for its authentic Indian cuisine with a focus on dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala and Paneer Butter Masala.

5. Anjappar Chettinad Indian Restaurant: Known for its flavorful South Indian cuisine, this restaurant at 101 Ledgestone Way, Cary, provides a vast menu including Dosa and Chettinad chicken.

6. BlueFox Indian Cuisine: This restaurant at 2250 Gathering Park Cir, Cary, is highly regarded for its Andhra Chicken Curry and Mutton Biryani, among other dishes.

7. Bharath Cafe: Bharath Cafe at 716 Slash Pine Dr, Cary, is celebrated for its Biryani and South Indian dishes like Paneer Butter Masala and authentic Indian sweets.

Load Baked Potato Casserole 😋

Thanks Emerson Pauley for bring this tasty recipe to our attention. Watch him walk you through this recipe (he scaled his up quite a bit for a graduation party). The recipe below is for 10 servings.

📋 Ingredients List:

• 10 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and halved

• 6 slices bacon

• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

• 1 cup evaporated milk

• 1 cup sliced green onions, divided

• ½ cup sour cream

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

📝 Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

2. Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to the pot to dry.

3. Meanwhile, arrange bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon on a paper towel-lined plate; crumble and set aside.

4. Combine 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, evaporated milk, 1/2 cup green onions, sour cream, 1/2 of the crumbled bacon, salt, and black pepper in the pot with potatoes. Mash with a potato masher until creamy. Spread mixture into the prepared baking dish.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese, green onions, and bacon. Return to the oven and continue baking until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more.

   Notes: You can use 2% milk if you don’t have evaporated milk and add one stick of butter and extra bacon, if you like.

Give it a try and let us know what you think. Print recipe & tips