Homer's Travels: Weekend In Galena

Monday, March 05, 2012

Weekend In Galena

We spent the weekend in Galena, IL with the Matron of Honor (MoH) and Best Man (BM).  This was the third time in a year that we've visited this small town on the Galena river, the last being during our Route 66 vacation.  There was fresh snow on the ground when we arrived which seemed strange after all the 'brown' we've had this winter.  We reached the town at 8:30PM and spent the rest of Friday night talking about news - both family and world news.

Saturday was a slow start.  I needed it.  On Friday I'd walked eight miles before driving for nearly six hours.  I'd been a tad tired and a late morning hit the spot.  We met the MoH and BM in the lobby and had some hotel breakfast.  I continued the minor trend I'd started on our Route 66 vacation and had a waffle.  I'm not a huge waffle fan but it was actually pretty good.

Grant House, Galena, Illinois.
We drove into town and visited the Grant House.  The house had been given to General U.S. Grant after the civil war.  We toured the house with it's original decorations.  It reminded me a little of my Grandparents house when I was a kid.  The house was set on top of the bluffs and offered a great view of the town.

View from Grant House in Galena, Illinois.
After a little bit of history we headed to Main street and walked the shops.  We all found something to drop money on ... well the Wife and MoH did.  I didn't buy anything.  The Star Trek diorama was tempting but it was in pretty rough condition so I walked away.

We ate lunch at the Galena Brewing Company where I had a pulled pork sandwich as big as my head.  The bar/restaurant was once a mortuary.  We expected it to be decorated in mortuary chic but it wasn't.  It just felt like a bar.  I think they're missing an opportunity there.  We took our time eating, drinking, and talking.

Downtown Galena, Illinois.
We finished our downtown walk and went in search of ice cream or gelato, both advertised in windows along the downtown.  Unfortunately it is winter and both places either had none or were out of the best flavors.  We decided to move along.

We visited a nice visitor's center/museum where we asked about places for dinner.  We headed back to our hotel for an afternoon nap - a sign that we are officially old.  I needed the nap and after sleeping a couple hours I read my book while the Wife slept.

That evening we went to the Timmerman's Supper Club.  The place was right out of the 60s and served great food and drink.  It smelled like the 60s and brought back memories of when I was a kid ... again.  I made up for not having ice cream by having a triple chocolate layer cake (chocolate cookie crust, chocolate tort, chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, chocolate chips, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce).

On Sunday we drove home, part of the way through blowing snow.  And to think the forecast for tomorrow is 70°F (21°C).

Overall we had a relaxing and fun weekend in Galena with the MoH and BM.  Even though I'd never been to Galena when I was a kid, the town kept bringing back memories of my childhood.  They were all good memories.

P.S.   During our stay in Galena I tried out my new camera I bought last week.  It has GPS, is waterproof and rugged, and will make a perfect travel camera.  I will post more about it later this week.

2 comments:

  1. WAIT A MINUTE!!! Not a Waffle Fan?!?

    WHAT?

    I don't think we can be friends anymore ;)

    Seriously it sounds like a nice time!

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    Replies
    1. Miss McC: Well ... they aren't thaaat bad. I just prefer pancakes, that's all. We Did!

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