Mystery Trip--Day 2



We saw many churches in our Destination city




On our second day, we were up early, luggage outsidqe the door by 7:15. We had a nice breakfast and all hopped on the big, purple bus. Scratch that, we all boarded the bus--no hopping among senior citizens!






Crossing the Mississippi River, I wondered if we would be turning north soon, but it wasn't until we sighted the sign for the highway to Rockford, IL that we headed north. We lived in Rockford for a few years at one point so had a bit of nostalgia as we passed by familiar sights.





Once in Wisconsin, we headed to a town called East Troy where we had a delightful journey on an electric railroad. The engineer and conductor kept us entertained over every inch of the track we followed. A lot of laughing at this duo that could have been a vaudeville act. Bordered by trees, bushes, wildflowers and houses, it proved to be an interesting ride on a pleasantly warm day. The train stopped at The Elegant Farmer's which turned out to be a restaurant and market. We had a picnic lunch at outdoor tables, sandwiches made on Kaiser rolls made in their bakery, the meats from their meat case.


Back on the train for the return trip to the old depot. Climbing on and off the train was a feat as the steps were steep but we all made it!






By mid-afternoon, we knew our destination city was Milwaukee, WI. When Ken and I were first married, we lived an hour south of Milwaukee so sometimes came to this city to shop, have lunch and enjoy the sights.





Our first stop was at Lakeside Brewery. No trip to Milwaukee can overlook a brewery visit. Lakeside is a small brewery with a big heart. The beer hall was a lively spot and the tour director entertaining. Those who weren't beer drinkers sampled the Golden Maple Root Beer. 'Very sweet' was what I heard numerous times.






On to the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Milwaukee where a small reception was waiting for us. All was well until it was discovered that one person's luggage had not been delivered to her room. It was lost until later in the evening but turned up allowing the poor woman to sleep better than had it still been wandering around the hotel.





Dinner at Mader's well-known German restaurant was good but too much food, as we find in most restaurants today. I had one of the best pieces of salmon I've ever eaten. Cooked to perfection! A long hallway by the private room where we ate was lined with photos of celebrities who had eaten at Mader's. Stars from the 40's on up to today were there for all to see. More nostalgia!






On Wednesday, we'll explore more of this city on Lake Michigan. Many of the people in our group had never been here so all will be new to them. For us, some will be new, some will dredge up memories of years past when we spent time here.