A Northern Vacation

FINALLY!!  My vacation certainly took it's time coming but it is finally here.  Ten days of peace and quiet and lots of stuff to see.



I woke up before the crack of dawn, which feels really unnatural, and headed to the airport.  Thankfully, unlike last time, there was no traffic and I got to the airport bright and early.  After running the Southwest 'find-a-seat' gauntlet, I settled in and before I knew it, we were coming into Boston for landing.  If you're a skittish traveler, it might be good to know that as you approach Boston Logan for landing and you look out the window, you'll probably see quite a bit of water.  I personally think this was a nice addition but others have told me that it freaks them out- as if they are going in for a water landing.  But we landed on terra firma and I made my way to baggage claim.  Of course I wasn't ten feet off the plane before I was greeted with a Dunkin Donuts sign, stereotype CONFIRMED!  



Nicole, my travel buddy for this trip, picked me up at the airport and we set off on a very important mission. Mission Buy Out British Food Shops.  Turns out that there are two British food shops in the greater Boston area, one in Peabody and one in Westford.  It might seem like a weird thing to be excited about, but if you have spent any time in the UK, you know that British sweets are superior.  I mean, it will always be a mystery to me why prawn cocktail crisps (AKA potato chips) never cracked the US market.  Seriously, they are so divine.  I could go on and on about that but I'll spare you!



After stocking up, we set off to visit Salem, Mass and to explore the Witch Trials of 1692.  The first thing to explain is that back in the day, there was a town of Salem and then Salem village.  The village was where everything happened; the official stuff, like the trials, happened in the town.  Salem village was founded in 1636 and today it's known as Danvers.  Of course, not a lot exists from Salem village.  *Though after the fact, I did discover that you can visit the homestead of Rebecca Nurse, one of the Witch Trial victims.  Right off the bat, Salem was not what I was expecting.  I envisioned it more like a reconstructed village with people in Puritan gear and stuff like that.  I think I've pinpointed where the misconception came from, an episode of Scooby Doo.  I can't believe that dog mislead me!



Our first stop was the Witch Dungeon Museum.  We were treated to a short play that recreated one of the actual trials; the acting left a bit to be desired but what do you really expect?  Then we were led downstairs into a recreation of the gaols where the victims of the witch hysteria would have been held.  They were truly horrible conditions and the conditions would have been bad enough for actual criminals, but to know that these people did nothing wrong and had to suffer like that made it worse.        



Our next stop was the Witch History Museum.  We walked through the main part of town to get there and along the way, we saw the Bewitched (as in the TV show) statue and a bunch of costumed 'villagers' dragging off an accused witch.  At least, in retrospect, that's what I hope it was!  The Witch History Museum had a similar setup, little song and dance at the beginning and then off to the basement for waxy recreations.  This one at least gave a little more historical substance to the whole thing.  You learned about the background issues that most likely helped the hysteria take hold.  The wax museum downstairs reminded me of the one Nicole and I visited in Dublin, AKA the cheesiest wax museum ever!



The last stop of Salem was to the memorial to the victims.  It was a very nice memorial.  Each of the 20 victims (14 women and 6 men) had a small bench with their names etched on the side, along with their fate.  Most of the victims were hung and then taken to the woods for 'burial'.  One of the men accused, Giles Corey, was pressed to death when he refused to enter a plea.  While it was a shame that nothing remains from the time of the Witch Trials I understand that the village wouldn't have exactly been eager to preserve things from such a dark time.



With Salem seen, we headed up to Gloucester, where we would be staying.  Gloucester is the quintessential fishing city.  It was first founded in 1642 and is called "America's Oldest Seaport."  After getting settled in, we went down to the promenade that ran along part of the harbor.  Along the promenade are memorials to the fishermen of Gloucester.  If it looks familiar, it was shown in the movie A Perfect Storm.  Gloucester was the home port for the  swordfishing boat Andrea Gail.  There are plaques around the memorial that have the names of the fishermen lost at sea each year; the most recent was from 2011.  It's surprising that there are still fishermen being lost at sea.  It really shows how dangerous of a job it is.  Farther along the promenade was another memorial.  This one is to the fishermen's wives.



We headed out to dinner at the Gloucester House and was joined by my other travel buddy, Tiffany, who was in town for a conference.  We naturally all went for some seafood (I had lobster mac and cheese)and it was yummy; a great way to start the trip.  We walked along the promenade and soaked up the salty sea air as the sun began to set on the first day of vacation.  Not a bad way to start things!

Tomorrow: Boston      

     

St. David's Day

Bore da, fy ffrindiau!

That's right, it's March 1st and that can only mean it's St. David's Day; David being the patron saint of Wales.   The daffodils and leeks, yes I’m talking about the vegetable, will be worn proudly and song will ring out around the land.  Oh Wales...it’s a special place.  So special, that some people don’t even know where it is!  For those of you wondering, it’s that section of Great Britain west of a majority of England.  It almost looks like someone took a bite out of its side, can’t blame them, it’s a yummy place.  Some people would probably mind that people don’t know where their country is but for me (not that it’s my country...yet) I don’t mind at all.  It’s a wonderful and secret place, largely untouched by the mass migrations of tourists.   

Great Britain, thanks
NASA!

Wales is one of the countries that makes up Great Britain.  This usually confuses people because 'isn’t Great Britain a country so how can Wales be a country?'  Well, it’s funny you should ask.  The term Great Britain in fact refers to the island that floats off the coast of Europe in the North Sea.  Great Britain is then made up of three countries: England, Scotland and Wales.  Those three plus Northern Ireland and other island territories combine to make the United Kingdom (by far, the coolest of the Transformers).  If it helps, think of the countries as states (with limited government) and the United Kingdom as the United States. 

While it’s tempting to jump into a historical narrative of Wales, I will try to keep it brief.  Wales is one of the Celtic nations; the others being Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Cornwall and Brittany.  Once the Romans skeedaddled, the last leaving by 410BCE, multiple kingdoms emerged; these were independent from the mostly Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England.  It wasn’t until 1216 that the various kingdoms were unified and ruled by the Prince of Wales, Llewelyn if you are curious.  Unfortunately, that didn’t last long.  English king Edward I was all about conquering other people.  He conquered Wales in 1283 after building tons of castles to keep the Welsh down.  If the name sounds familiar, this is the same king that invaded Scotland and battled against William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.  It was also Edward I that repurposed the title of Prince of Wales.  His son, Edward II, became the first heir to the English throne to be given the title.  Basically Wales lived under some level of occupation until 1535 when King Henry VIII (his dynasty, the Tudors,  had its beginnings in Wales) incorporated Wales under the legal system of England.  Since then they have been linked together.  In 1998, The Government of Wales Act was passed and the National Assembly for Wales, which is able to make laws for Wales, was created.   In 2006, the National Assembly was given even more power.

So that’s pretty much the shortest summary of Welsh history, EVER.  But if you are asking ‘why go into all that detail for a travel blog’ the answer is two fold: 1. Wales’ history is integral to their culture and 2. I have a degree in history so I might as well use it for something!  So what is it to be Welsh?  They have that pride that can only come from being the perennial underdog.  They wax poetically about their country; the hills and valleys, the rugged coast line, the stunning mountains.  And if you’ve experienced the beauty that Wales has to offer, you know they aren’t exaggerating.  The country is a living paradox, from the motorway across South Wales, you might think it’s all an industrial wasteland but take a quick detour on to a country lane and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported centuries back.  Mid Wales might as well be a kingdom of sheep, people are outnumbered by sheep almost 4 to 1.  Wales is reknowned for their music.  Don’t believe me?  All you need do is listen to a little Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Stereophonics or Duffy; though the Welsh would most likely point to their much-lauded men’s choirs before the pop charts.  The language itself, Wales is bilingual and that becomes obvious as soon as you cross the border and start reading the road signs, has a lyrical quality to it and the accent has a gravitas that resonates deep within; listen to Richard Burton or Anthony  Hopkins.  But performing arts aside, they are also some of the friendliest people you will ever come across.  Some of my most favorite travel moments have been conversations with random strangers.  As one Welsh person put it on my last visit, ‘we’re terribly nosy.’ 

Harlech Castle

The one good thing Edward I did in Wales, and it could be argued in his whole life, was build castles.  Yes, at the time they were tools of oppression but boy are they fun to visit now!  He built or repaired 17 castles during his campaign against the Welsh.  It’s some of these castles that are the most iconic of all of Wales’ many castles.  There are over 400 castles in a country that is roughly the size of New Jersey or El Salvador, if that helps.  Of course some of those 400 castles are just a few piles or rocks or earthen mounds.  I’ve only been to 64 of them so far, I know...what a slacker.  There is just something amazing about being able to walk amongst the walls and foundations of something built 800 years ago.  And thanks to the beautiful hills that Wales has to offer, most castles come complete with breathtaking scenery.  And when you go off the beaten path to explore some of the more forgotten castles, you usually have them all to yourself which is something special.  Some have stood the time of time well and it takes little imagination to envision them in working order while others have been left to be reclaimed by nature; the crumbling walls covered in greenery.  I think picking a favorite castle would be like picking a favorite child, they each have their own personality and uniqueness.

Worms Head, Rhossili Bay

But castles aren’t the only thing that Wales has to offer.  It has some of the best scenery you could imagine from the rugged mountains and bright blue lakes to the rolling green valleys dotted with sheep to the sheer cliffs that rush down to meet the ocean.  One of my most favorite corners of the world is the Gower Peninsula in South Wales.  It's minutes away from the bustling city of Swansea, Wales' second largest city, but you would never guess that.  A majority of the inner part of the peninsula is common land so you are just as likely to share the road with grazing horses, sheep or cows as you are with vehicles.  The Gower has a fair share of castles to over but it's the coastline that makes it a real treasure, especially Rhossili Bay.  The wind rushes along the rugged cliffs that spread out across the Bristol Bay and while most visitors would wisely avoid going too close to the edge the sheep have no such worries, often times being perched on perilous drops.

If you are lucky, you will visit a place where you feel truly at home.  It might not be for every visitor that crosses over the Severn River, but to me that place is Wales.  The scenery, the history, the music, the people all make Wales a special place.

Castell y Bere

Snowdonia, the mountain region of North Wales

Adios Texas

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”  Mark Twain said this in 1869 and 144 years later they are words to live by.  I think even the most open-minded of people have places that they aren't interested in visiting or already have an opinion of.  I know that I do and for me, Texas was one of them.  I knew I'd get there at some point just to cross it off my list but I certainly couldn't claim to having a burning desire.  But you know what, it's a pretty fun place with welcoming people and I think that's exactly what Mark Twain was getting at.  If you go in to a trip with an open heart, you will usually find yourself pleasantly surprised.

So what were some of the highlights?  San Antonio was a great city with so much history.  The missions are a unique experience for those that don't live in the southwest.  The mythology of The Alamo has probably become bigger than the actual building but it is an integral part to the fabric that makes up Texas.  I was pleasantly impressed with the Lyndon B. Johnson-related things that we saw.  Visiting things like presidential libraries, or even museums about certain aspects of history, might not completely change your view of that person or event but I think it does enable you to put it in context and appreciate the complexity of it.   Of course, the food was flavorful and one of the key points of traveling is taking in the local flavor, literally and figuratively, so it is not to be missed.  

If you expect a trip to be flawless then you really should probably just stay at home.  Life isn't perfect so why should a vacation be?  Driving in Texas was definitely an experience.  I would probably rank them 2nd, so far, on my Bad State Drivers list.  Connecticut still holds strong in 1st place (seriously, they need to give out anti-rage pills with every rental car up there.)  But with Texas drivers, I honestly think it was more like a window into the Texas mindset.  I mean this state was it's own independent country and today that independence is definitely alive and well on its roads.  

But while driving quirks can be looked over and can even add a little excitement to the trip, a less then glowing experience with your hotel isn't as fun.  I've stayed in a La Quinta before and for the more part they are perfectly fine.  The price is right and it's a step up from a motel.  But no matter what good deal you got, when they seem to totally disregard comments and requests it's hard to boast about them.  Our first night in the room our shower was leaking, you could hear from the main room and conservation-wise they must have gone through a good bit of water.  So the next morning we said something and the front desk clerk promised to have someone look at it.  Three days later, they still hadn't done a thing to it.  As I've mentioned before, the breakfast left a lot to be desired.  I get that it's free but I kind of like when hotels don't treat a free breakfast like they're feeding cats out in the back alley.  But the worst experience of the trip was check out.  The 'employee' that checked us out might as well of been someone they dragged off the street, because he was that helpful.  There was a inconsistency about the price and rightly so we asked about it.  The only thing this guy could say was 'I don't know nothing bout that.'  He even claimed to not have access to the managers cell phone number or know when the manager would bother showing up.  Turns out, a week later when Tiffany finally got a call back from the manager, that this was the guy's first week.  Fine, I certainly know I don't have all the answers when people call me up at work and I'm no hotel manager but I don't think check out time was probably the best shift to start him.  Someone like that needs to work the graveyard shift until he's been given the manager's phone number!  So needless to say, we left La Quinta with a less than favorable opinion.  But like I said, no trip is without it's little speed bumps.

Since I've ready shared plenty of pictures, I thought I'd close out this trip with some songs.  We have all experienced the joy of getting a song stuck in your head.  Here are some of mine from this trip.

Ballad of Davy Crockett- I dare anyone to read about or go to The Alamo and NOT start humming this song.  Dare Disney for making such a catchy, though historically inaccurate, song.

(Boy, I haven't listened to the lyrics of this song in a long time...not the most PC of songs!)

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey- Now this one is a stretch.  I was wandering around the Admiral Nimitz Museum and I got to thinking about Admiral Halsey and that led to me humming this song as I went through the rest of the museum.  "Hands across the water...water."

Colonel Bogey's March- To be fair, this song get stuck in my head a lot.  But when you are going through the Museum of the Pacific War it's hard not to think about Bridge on the River Kwai!

Theme to The Magnificent Seven- Driving through the Texas hills, it wasn't hard to imagine cowboys riding over the ridge.  Even though this movie wasn't set in Texas it sure could have been!

And finally...this one is thanks to the LBJ Presidential Library.  They had a few sections that cataloged the years of his presidency with what was going on in music, movies, fashion, etc.  This song was one of the ones featured and since it's also a favorite on mine, it got hummed a bit too.

Thanks so much for reading.  I hope you enjoyed it and I hopefully it will get you planning your next vacation!  My next vacation isn't until July (booo!) but until then I'll be posting about previous trips and favorite places.  Keep tuned in!
         

Texas- Austin

Day 4

Our last full day in Texas had arrived.  After stopping off at Starbucks for some halfway decent coffee, we headed north again (though this time, slightly to the right).  I had heard about a new toll road that had just opened that had the speed limit of 85.  I was hoping to try it out but I had forgotten to write down its name and to be honest, I’m pretty sure our car would have imploded if Tiffany attempted to push that far down on the accelerator.  Traffic was wonderfully light and Tiffany was pretty confident she knew why; “everyone is on their way to church…except for us!” 

LBJ All the Way

Austin was like a ghost town when we rolled in just before 9:00am.  I guess that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise since it’s a university city AND our first stop was said university.  The Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library is on the University of Texas at Austin campus.  I should probably admit that I don’t know a lot about ol’ LBJ but in general I leaned towards that he isn’t one of my favorites.  I think it was the combination of Vietnam and that he made his whole family have names that used his initials (Lady Bird Johnson, Lynda Bird Johnson, Luci Baines Johnson).  So needless to say, I didn’t have a lot of expectations going into this visit but since I’ve been knocking out presidential libraries I wasn’t going to turn it down.  Fun fact: There are only 13 official presidential libraries which are run by the National Archives.  The first is Herbert Hoover’s in West Branch, Iowa (shout out to my Iowans).  There are other libraries out the, like Lincoln’s, but they are private.  There was a statue of LBJ that greeted visitors at the entrance.  Even though it was kinda creepy and not even made out of metal, we paused for a photo op.  According to the website, the library had just started charging an entrance fee but the travel gods were shining on us and we got in for free because the system wasn’t working yet, sweet!  The library also recently had an overhaul and the exhibits were updated.  I’m all for updating and using new technology but the animatronic LBJ was just creepy!  I mean, I’m still having nightmares. 

Weird robot president aside, I really enjoyed the library.  I learned a lot about LBJ.  Of course no presidential library is going to focus on the not-so-popular parts of their presidency but I definitely learned about all the positive things that he did: Civil Rights, creation of PBS, creation of NPR, Pell grants, the Kennedy Center, Medicare, Anti-Poverty programs, Water Pollution Control, International Education and Fair Housing to name a few.  It shows that the job of president is a complex one and how that complexity is viewed by the regular citizen will paint how you are remembered.  In Johnson’s case, it was made even more difficult when assuming the position in the wake of a national tragedy. 

The Capitol in Austin

 We left LBJ behind and headed over to the Texas State Capitol.  It turns out that there was a marathon going on in Austin today.  Talk about perfect timing!  Thankfully we were able to park somewhat close but we did have to rush across the end of the marathon course, dodging runners.  But hey, now I can say that I’ve ran a marathon (I never said I completed it).  I don’t know what everyone is complaining about the last .2 miles about, seemed pretty easy to me!  The state capitol building lives up to Texas’ favorite motto: everything is bigger in Texas.  The building is the largest state capitol in the country.  The national capitol in D.C. is biggest but the Texas building is 15 feet higher.  Talk about competitive!  The building, completed in 1888, also stands out because it is built of granite, giving it a lovely mauve hue.  Apparently there is a state law that prohibits the view of the capitol from being obscured, good to know.  On the inside, the capitol is much like any other: dome, Senate room, House of Representatives room, supreme court.  Thankfully, in case you forget which capitol you are in, a literal representation of the famed Lone Star is everywhere.  And it turns out not to be limited to just inside the state capitol.  It was definitely time to get that fake, dead cat out and start swinging because there were stars on buildings, on street signs, on sidewalks, bronze ones in front of buildings…you get the idea. 

Bullock Texas State History Museum

After a quick stop at the visitor’s center gift shop, we walked over to the Bullock Texas State History Museum.  Seems like an odd name for a museum, especially when it’s so similar to an unsavory British slang word, but it’s named after Bill Bullock a former lieutenant governor who pushed for the creation of the museum.  The museum is one of those that the ticket price depends on the options you pick.  We went with the general exhibit and The Star of Destiny 4D movie (I told you they love their stars).  I’m always up for a 4D experience even though inevitably they are a bit disappointing and, in this case, incredibly cheesy.  We learned that we all have the star of destiny in us and we all have a little bit of Texas in us.  I learned that Tiffany, and other audience members, don’t enjoy getting the 4D experience of being poked by a rattlesnake.  I found it rather hilarious but then again, I’m that kind of friend!  So yes, the movie was schmaltzy but the museum was pretty good.  It was a timeline of Texas from the American Indians and the arrival of the Spanish to the 1970s and the heyday of NASA.  I did think they were a bit heavy on the ‘we love oil’ sections but I do understand that that is a big part of the Texas story and the economy of the state.  Of course, it shouldn’t of come as a big surprise that on the list of big donors Big Oil was strongly represented.  In the gift shop you could buy any manner of Texas mottos emblazoned on magnets, coffee cups and t shirts: Don’t Mess With Texas, Everything’s Bigger In Texas, You Can Go To Hell And I Will Go To Texas (I still don’t know if that’s a compliment), Come and Take It (another Alamo motto), God Bless Texas and I Shall Never Surrender Or Retreat, Victory Or Death.  Though I was disappointed by the lack of Houston We Have A Problem knick knacks.

Granny's Pie- graham cracker, pecans
& caramel

Dosa

With all that history out of the way, we headed across the Colorado River (which I only know now that I have googled it) and headed for the funky side of Austin. South Congress Street was the place to be with its hip shops and plentiful food trucks.  I've never done the food truck thing before and I was determined to get the full experience in Austin.  The trucks, usually a couple to a half dozen, are set up in vacant lots and there are local artists and vendors selling their wears.  So many options; there were cupcakes, snowballs, Creole, Indian, subs, Thai and fried goodies.  I decided on some Indian dosa from Nomad Dosa, which is a lentil pancake with your choice of spicy goodness inside.   Another stop found us at Gourdoughs, which lives by their tag line "Big. Fat. Donuts."  I will just say that there is no reason that any person needs that much dough, but darn if it wasn't yummy!  But since we had barbecue to taste on the way home, we got the dough to go.  

The Salt Lick

Pork Ribs

We had done the Tex Mex cuisine proud but we couldn't leave the Lone Star State without trying its BBQ.  We were headed for Driftwood, Texas and to get from Austin to there you went through a veritable wasteland of nothingness.  Out of the darkness we saw the famed Salt Lick.  It was hard to miss!  I'm not exaggerating when I say that it was like a small city.  The parking lot was about the average size of a mall parking lot.  Not only were there at least four buildings for the restaurant but there was also a winery attached and a grotto featuring live music.  With all this going on, it wasn't too surprising that the wait was 90 minutes.  Needless to say we opted for the 15 minute wait and went for to go.  With our BBQ joining our dough, we headed back to San Antonio (hehe, that rhymed).  The smell permeated our little Chevy and with an hour still to go, I was a bit worried that Tiffany was going to veer off the road from hunger.  It was nearing 8 o'clock so when we finally saw the lights of civilization (AKA Kyle, Texas) we pulled in to eat.  There's really nothing like the ambiance that a Walgreen's parking lot offers when eating barbeque.  I'm just glad the Walgreen's wasn't busy that night and we didn't have random people walk by while we were devouring meat in the front seat (there I go again).  I'm not a huge fan of pork ribs, I'm more of a pulled pork kinda gal, but The Salt Lick ribs were very good.  Once our ravenous hunger was sated, we continued on our journey.  

It had been a long but eventful day and when we finally got to our La Quinta, we were ready to relax.  My first visit to Texas was coming to an end.  Tomorrow Tiffany and I would fly back to our respective frozen tundras.            

Texas- Hill Country

Day 3

In my perusal of hotel breakfast offerings I have noticed a trend; personalized waffle irons.  They seem to be all the rage.  Tiffany had been to a conference at the University of Richmond (VA) and they apparently had the shape of their mascot pressed into waffles.  Sounds spirited, until you learn that the mascot is a spider.  I don’t have a phobia about them or anything but I certainly don’t want them on top of my waffles!  Well at the good old La Quinta on the 1604 Loop, they had waffles in the form of Texas, no shock there.  Tiffany’s waffle turned out perfectly Lone Star-shaped.  Mine on the other hand looked like Texas after a horrible car crash.  I should have known it would turn out like that when the orange juice container spit out yellow water and the waffle batter was like soup.  But we are made from tougher stuff and a bad breakfast wouldn’t get us down.

Entrance to the Admiral
Nimitz Museum

The plan for the day was to head northeast to Fredericksburg.  Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after the Prince Frederick of Prussia.  With that in mind, it shouldn't come to anyone as a surprise that Fredericksburg became THE place to be for German immigrants.  The main reason we were heading there was for the Admiral Nimitz Museum and National Museum of the Pacific War.  Who knew a small town would have such a big museum?!  It took about an hour to drive from San Antonio; thank you 70 MPH back roads!  You pretty much can’t miss Main St and that’s where all the action is.  The building which houses the Nimitz Museum is odd looking; as if they cut off the top of one house and placed it on the roof of another.  It was actually the hotel that Nimitz’s grandfather and uncle operated.  The small museum chronicled the Fleet Admiral’s life and it was definitely interesting; especially since I admittedly don’t know more than his name and WWII experience. 

Towards the back of the block, sits the actual War in the Pacific Museum.  I have been to my fair share of WWII related sites (National D-Day Museum in New Orleans; D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA; First Division Museum in Chicago; National WWII Memorial in DC; Imperial War Museum in London; Normandy, France) and this one was a nice surprise.  It was HUGE.  Guides usually exaggerate the number of hours visitors will take going through the museum, but the three hour estimate wasn’t that much of a stretch.  Since I’m pretty well versed in WWII (not to toot my own horn) I can gloss over some of the more general bits; I have never been the type to read every plaque on the wall.  I’ve usually focused more on the European side of WWII so the breakdown of all the major battles for the islands of the Pacific was really interesting.  There were a few sections where I thought they could have gone more in-depth (POWs, the atomic bomb) but then again, they probably would have needed another building!  There were a lot of personal artifacts and videos with veterans and others who lived through that period.  There were a few families with pre-teen children and the kids seemed to keep fairly engaged so that’s always a glowing recommendation. 

Outside, there was a memorial wall and a Japanese Peace Garden.  The memorial wall had nice plaques to ships, military groups and even individuals.  I will say that the garden was a bit disappointing.  I don’t know whether it was not well-cared for or just a small garden but Japanese gardens are usually more impressive.  There was also another part of the museum complex farther down the road, the Combat Zone, but it was by hourly guided tour only and the timing just didn’t work out. 

Pioneer Museum

Vereins Kirche

Instead, we headed down Fredericksburg’s Main Street and did some shopping.  I love streets like this, filled with quirky and one-of-a-kind shops.  If German food is your thing, this is the place for you.  You couldn’t swing a dead {fake} cat without hitting a German Restaurant.  In the town square, the Vereins Kirche stands out against the regular buildings.  The small building was built in 1847 in the octagonal German style that dates back to Charlemagne.  While it’s a unique building, there isn’t much more to it than its shape.  But if you’re walking by, why not take a quick peek.  A little further down is the Pioneer Museum.  This is right up our alley!  The museum was an open air collection of houses and public buildings from the early days of Fredericksburg.  The Sunday House was about the size of the shed you probably have out in your back yard.  It’s called a Sunday House because people who lived out in the country would buy these houses and use them on the weekend when they came in for shopping and church.  I think my bedroom was bigger than the entire house, and that isn’t saying much.  Add to that fact that they probably crammed at least half a dozen people in there.  No thanks!  There was a schoolhouse and bathhouse and it was a nice quick stop.

Now that we had enjoyed the history that Main Street had to offer, we wanted to enjoy some of the wine it also had to offer!  After all, this area is known as wine country.  We’d be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn’t check it out.  Fredericksburg Winery was just a few buildings down from the Pioneer Museum.  While I enjoy wine, and wine tastings, I do sometimes get a bit tired of the snobbery that sometimes appears when you aren’t a red wine fan.  Sure, when you first start out on wine you are probably going to go for the sweeter kind but some wineries act like you just suggested opening a fine vintage of Boone’s Farm when you mention, I prefer the sweeter wines.  Our tasting lady was one of those people.  Whatevs, the samples were free and the ones we tasted were pretty good.  We each ended up buying a bottle and then went on our merry way.  Most of the other wineries are on the outskirts of Fredericksburg but before heading out there, we made one last stop- the Fredericksburg Pie Company.  I tell ya, Tiffany can really pick them!  We had a delicious slice of German Chocolate Cake pie, it seemed fitting.  Fun fact: German Chocolate Cake is not German.  It was actually first created in, you guessed it, Texas.  The reason for the name is that the chocolate was German.

Back at the car, I booted up the GPS and plug in the next winery.  Then I made a mistake…I listened to the GPS.  I tend to have a love/hate, leaning more to the hate, relationship with my GPS.  I’m a bit old school when it comes to navigation.  Give me a good map and someone to tell ‘that way’ or ‘this way.’  On the other hand if the GPS is working correctly, and that’s a big if, then why not?  Well this time, it was not working.  We headed out of Fredericksburg expecting to see sign after sign for wineries.  We saw one…in 40 miles.  40 miles of desolate ranch land.  The only thing we saw plenty of is goats.  Fun fact: did you know that goat is the most eaten meat in the world?  That led to conversations about what meat I would eat.  Bison?  No, my residual White guilt precludes me.  Ostrich?  Yes, I don’t like those horrible animals with their beady eyes.  It wasn’t until we hit the highway again and saw the sign for El Paso that I looked at the GPS and said ‘um, I think this is the wrong way.’  A half hour later, we found ourselves in Fredericksburg AGAIN and headed the correct way.  It wasn’t long before we started seeing wineries.

The Texas White House

The other wineries we visited were packed but the wines we did try didn’t exactly blow us away.  Instead of trying more, we headed over to Stonewall and the Lyndon B. Johnson State and National Historic Site.  Our first stop was the state site, it wasn’t much besides a Visitor’s Center but we wanted to grab a map before heading over to the Texas White House.  Of course the couple in front of us was taking their sweet time chatting, so by the time we got the map it was almost 4:30pm.  The ranger told us that we wouldn’t be able to see anything because the gates to the national site closed at 4:30pm.  We grabbed the map and headed over in the hopes of at least getting a glimpse of the ranch over the other side of the river.  Turned out we couldn’t; darn trees!  As we rounded the bend towards the national site, we noticed that the gate was only closed on one side.  If that wasn’t an invitation, I don’t know what is!  We zoomed through the gate giddy with our reckless disregard for official closing times.  Turns out this is becoming a bit of a pattern.  Last year when Tiffany and I were in Atlanta, we went to tour the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.  As we went up to pay for the ticket, the woman told us the museum closed in 15 minutes and it wouldn’t be worth it.  We ignored her warning and did it anyway.  We got through the museum with plenty of time; we even had time to do a little shopping in the gift store.  But back to LBJ, as we made our way to the Johnson family graveyard there was still plenty of people milling about (though they were on their way out).  We jumped out of the car and took a few snaps of LBJ and Lady Bird’s graves, respectably of course.  Just as we were getting close to the ranch house, the road turned one way and we went off on the longest road in the world!  It took us past the show barns, the airfield, the ranch manager’s house, etc.  I was half expecting to drive by the actual White House!  After being tailed by what we can only assume was a ranger rounding up the herds (of tourists), we made it to the Texas White House.  Victory!  Our photo op with the building complete, we figured it was best to hit the road in case we had outstayed our welcome. 

Another successful day, despite a slight detour, was complete and we were again heading south to San Antonio.  We were back on Mexican food and had what I think was our best meal so far at El Mirasol.  The salsa was roasted and my enchiladas a la Mexicana was que sabroso!  It definitely pays to have foodie travel buddies! 

Tomorrow was our last full day in Texas and we’d be heading to Austin. 

Texas- San Antonio

Day 2

There’s probably a good reason that the breakfast at La Quinta is free because I certainly never would have paid for it.  I have long been a fan of HIE with their yummy omelets and cinnamon rolls.  Other hotels really ride the line between breakfast and crap.  It didn’t help that I got to breakfast with 15 minutes left before the end but basic things like plates, utensils and cups should always be resupplied.  I wasn’t expecting them to bring out ‘fresh’ eggs just for me but it would have been nice if the toaster was actually working.

The Alamo

But despite the lack of a good morning meal, Tiffany and I headed for downtown San Antonio.  Our goal was to see all that the city had to offer.  After surviving in the traffic, which would become a victory in and of itself, we parked in the nearby Crockett lot.  I wonder if Davy Crockett ever dreamed that one day he would become so famous that a parking lot would be named after him?  Of course, could be worse…coming soon to Leicester, the Richard III lot.  (As we left for the day, the ticket machine wasn't working so we ended up getting free parking.  Thanks, Davy!)  We walked over to the infamous Alamo, or the more historically accurate Misión San Antonio de Valero.  In the build-up to this trip I can’t remember how many times I was told, ‘you’ll be disappointed with The Alamo.’  Well, I wasn’t.  Maybe it’s because I never built it up in my mind.  It is what it is.  I guess if I had it in my mind that the clouds would part and a ray of light would shine down on the doors of the Alamo and a heavenly choir would start going ‘ahhhhh,’ then yes, I would have been disappointed.  But having studied history, I guess I’m more of a realist.  Actually, I was surprised there was more to it than just the chapel section.  Some of the barracks are left and the walls line a nice bit of garden where plenty of cacti grow.  The Shrine part of the complex is rather small and it's hard to imagine almost 200 people crammed in there, with nearly 2,000 enemy soldiers surrounding the building.  In the Shrine, state flags and national flags lined the walls.  Each one had a ribbon with the name of the state or nation and a number.  Of course, I zeroed in on the Welsh flag (if you know anything about me, this doesn’t surprise you).  Thankfully, there were volunteers milling about and one of them told us that each flag represented a defender.  Who knew it was such an international group?    

I will admit to one disappointment, that there was no sand in the area for which I could draw a line through.  The saying ‘drawing a line in the sand’ is often attributed to the Battle at The Alamo.  Colonel William Travis, after hearing the terms of surrender from Santa Anna, took out his sword and drew a line in the sand and anyone who was willing to stay and die had to cross over it.  I was all ready to reenact that for my uncle and send the picture off to the snowy Midwest but there was no sand.  How could they?!  I attempted to draw a line in the rocks but that just didn’t cut it.  C’est la vie.  The only other thing I will say about The Alamo is that I don’t think you left there really understanding more about the event.  The information was sparse.  There was a nice outdoor section about the follow-up to the siege but all in all, it was more of a memorial (which it has every right to be) than a museum. 

The Riverwalk

After The Alamo, we walked over to The Riverwalk.  It’s exactly how it sounds, walking along a river.  But it’s actually quite nice.  It was still pretty early so we had the ambling paths to ourselves for the most part.  The majority of The Riverwalk is restaurants.  It reminded me slightly of the canals in The Venetian in Las Vegas, minus the cheesiness.  Plus it’s also a nice way of walking through the city without having to stop for street crossings.  We headed back up to the road and went to take a quick peek at the San Fernando Cathedral.  Right inside the left entrance of the building is a tomb that holds to remains of those that fought at The Alamo: Davy Crockett, William Travis and Jim Bowie in particular.  That took about all of five seconds to see.  The cathedral was small and sedate, at least compared to the European cathedrals I’m used to (not to sound like a snob).  We also made a quick stop at the Spanish Governor’s Palace.  Again, palace is a very kind way to describe the building.  It definitely looked like an outpost in some provincial land, and that’s probably what it was when it was first built.  Outside there was a statue of a generic conquistador, it made for a perfect photo op, ‘say massacre!’  Just across from the Palace was a statue of Moses Austin who got a land grant from the Spanish government to start the first English settlement in Texas.  Can’t help but think a lot of people see that as mistake numero uno. 

The bakery at Mi Tierra

A little bit further along is The Mercado, or the Mexican Market.  I was kind of hoping for a festive environment.  I should have known not to trust the pictures on the Internet that showed roving Mariachi bands and traditional dancers.  They did have some good shops down there if you wanted Mexican goods but there were also plenty that were selling junk to gullible tourists.  We did eat down there at Mi Tierra.  Now that was festive.  Every inch of the ceiling was decorated with streamers and piñatas.  The waitresses wore red, white and green peasant skirts and the salsa was plentiful.  I guess it was Tex Mex more than Mexican food but regardless it was yummy.  And the strawberry margaritas were VERY yummy.  After having our fill of some down home Texas food, we headed back out.  We didn’t head back down to the Riverwalk, wanting to stop off at the Hard Rock Café.  Again, here is where San Antonio’s lack of signage becomes a bit of an annoyance.  Tiffany and I are pretty good with maps, I can’t count how many trips I have been the official navigator for, but when you hide the building and then put a big rotating sign on the road a block in the wrong direction, of course people are going to get a bit turned around.  But despite that, the Hard Rock couldn’t hide from us.  We made the compulsory visit to the gift shop (since I collect the city pins) and then headed out.  I had to laugh that they had a small section of memorabilia dedicated to Ozzy Osborne, since one of his many colorful tales includes when he dressed up in women’s clothes and peed on The Alamo.

Mission San José

Mission Concepción

We were done with the downtown area of San Antonio and rest of the day would have us on the Mission Trail.  There are four more missions on the outskirts of San Antonio.  When in doubt, we followed the brown signs (which amazingly they had).  But first we had to find our way through the detours.  We took an extended driving tour of the King William neighborhood, the section of the city where German immigrants made their home.  Some of the houses were amazing to look at.  There are some that you can tour but you have to call ahead and reserve a time and we just had too much to do.  After taking some tours of other not so nice neighborhoods, we finally got to the first of the missions, Mission Concepción (proper name, Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña).  With the Spanish not getting as far north as Maryland, we certainly don’t have buildings like this readily available so I always enjoy visiting them when possible.  The missions were built in the early 1730s; for my Marylanders, Baltimore City was founded in 1729.  The first two missions, Concepción and San José, are definitely the more impressive of the four on the Mission Trail.  The inside of Concepción still has the bold ochre paint covering the vestibule.  The outer walls and living quarters of the Native Americans are still intact at San José (proper name, Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo).  At San José, you got the best picture of what missions were all about.  It wasn’t just the religious aspects, which was a big part of it, but it was a community.  Housing, agriculture, commerce; in that way the missions are probably the closest thing to castles that you can get in the US.  Mission San Juan Capistrano was getting a bit of a face lift.  It seems from older pictures I have seen that it recently was given a white wash, which is what the missions would have looked like back in the day.  It’s definitely a lot smaller than the first two but that doesn’t make it less worthy of a visit.  Of course since it was getting some work done, we weren’t able to go inside, oh well- next time.  The last of the missions was Mission Espada (proper name, Mission San Francisco de la Espada).  This mission is a lot greener than the others and feels more like a local church in some village as opposed to a multi-functioning town center like the other ones.  If you time your visit just right you can hear the mission bells ring, a sound that goes back almost 300 years.

Mission Espada

With the missions in the record book and five o’clock fast approaching we headed back out into the fray of rush hour traffic, admittedly not our smartest move.  It probably took us about an hour to get back to the good old La Quinta.  We needed a break from Tex Mex so Tiffany scoured Urban Spoon for some other options, which isn’t easy when the WiFi is about as slow as an elderly turtle walking through molasses in January at the South Pole, and we finally settled on Bourbon Street Seafood Kitchen.  Having been to New Orleans a few times and eating my fair share of Creole/Cajun food it wasn’t bad for being in Texas.  But of course, it still had me wishing for the real stuff in the Big Easy.

Tomorrow, we were headed off to Hill Country (AKA wine country) and the city of Fredericksburg.