Aalen, Germany to Freedom, NH via Austin, TX and Mackinac Island, MI

Location:  Virginia Beach, VA

At the end of the last blog, we were flying from Cape Town, South Africa to Frankfurt, Germany.  

AALEN, GERMANY - August 16 - September 11, 2022

From Frankfurt, we took the train to the town of Aalen, Germany where we spent three weeks pet sitting four cats - Mini, Bear, June and Fynny.

Mini is a friendly, little black cat.  She greeted us every morning, ate her breakfast, went outside to check out the weather, then snuggled onto Dave's lap to watch the morning news.

Mini getting a pet from Dave.

Bear is a big fluffy, friendly cat.  He acted as a protective big brother to Fynny and June and quietly encouraged them to come out of hiding for pets and play time.

Bear reaching out for a pet

June is a little shy.  It took a few days for her to warm up to us, but after that she would follow us around looking for a pet or a cuddle.

June with her beautiful eyes

Fynny was the shyest of the bunch.  She finally warmed up to us after we had been there for 10 days.  She was much braver when Bear was around and would come up to us for a pet if he was nearby acting as her protector.

Fynny trying to decide if she wanted a pet.

The weather changed from hot summer weather to cool fall temperatures while we were there.  It rained every few days and the flowers on the back porch and the apple trees in the backyard flourished.

Flowers blooming on the back patio

Every Wednesday and Saturday, there was a large farmers market in the downtown area, about a 10 minute walk from the house.  We would go there just before lunch, buy fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese and deli items and fresh baked bread, then stop at the sausage cart for lunch.

One of the small bakeries downtown where we bought fresh baked bread.

The sausage cart, our favorite place for lunch on market days.

The cheese cart at the farmers market with lots of varieties of cheese plus deli items like olives and stuff peppadew peppers.

One of the stands where we bought vegetables.

Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries were all in season and oh so delicious.

Most mornings we went out for a walk, either around town or through the parks and forests nearby. One of our favorite hikes was up to the Aalbaumle, a 26 meter high lookout tower up in the hills south of downtown.  The first time we went, we walked up the steep hiking path through the woods to the tower and came back down a gentle sloping gravel road.  The second time we went, we did the reverse. The total round trip distance from the house was 5.5 miles (9 km).

The description of the Aalbaumle lookout tower.

The view of Aalen and the surrounding area from the top level of the lookout tower.

Dave having a cup of coffee on a bench at the base of the lookout tower.  The first time we went up was mid-week and the cafe at the base of the tower was closed.  The second time we went up the cafe was open and we took a coffee break before hiking back down the hill.

Deutsche Bahn, the German train system, had a special on train tickets while we were there.  For the months of June, July and August, for €9 (9 Euros) a month, we could buy a ticket and take as many trips as we wanted within Germany on the local and regional buses and trains.  So, we bought a ticket for the month of August and did some exploring.  We spent a day exploring the city of Ulm, ~1-1/2 hour train ride south of Aalen.  We walked around downtown to the cathedral and the town hall, then crossed the Danube River and strolled along the banks in Neu Ulm.

The inside of the Ulm cathedral. 

The Ulm cathedral.  They were doing some cleaning and had scaffolding set up.

The Ulm Town Hall (Rathaus)

A view of the cathedral from the other side of the Danube River.

Aalen was the site of a Roman Fort and a Roman Military camp up until about 200 CE and the Limes Museum is a museum and archeological site depicting the history of that time.  We spent an afternoon there learning about the history and exploring the area.

The walls of the ancient Roman Fort and Military Camp or Limes, the modern term used for the Roman border defence in Germany.

An ancient lifting device at the Limes Museum, Aalen.

We also enjoyed having coffee at the cafes downtown and eating at the local restaurants in the area.

The Beer Hall downtown Aalen

Of course, we spent a lot of time with the cats.  Here are a few more photos of them and some more photos from our daily walks.

June and Bear

Mini waking up from a nap

Fynny and Bear

Fynny and June enjoying the afternoon sun beam.

Milk cows grazing.

Bear chasing the laser.

Apple tree loaded with fruit

Our last day of pet sitting was on September 9th when Julie, Eric and Ella arrived home from their vacation.  The Aalener Rechtsadter Tage festival (roughly translated to "days in the right town" festival) started that day, so Dave and I wandered around downtown, had supper and enjoyed the festival.

A beer tent at the Aalener Rechtsadter Tage Festival, downtown Aalen.

Saturday we caught the train from Aalen to Frankfurt and on Sunday, September 11th we flew from Frankfurt, Germany to Austin, TX.

AUSTIN, TEXAS to MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN - September 11 - 17, 2022

We spent a day in Austin visiting with our family and swapping out some of our summer clothes for winter stuff.

Grandson Archie at T-ball practice

Dave snuggling with grandson Ben

Granddaughter Maggie eating supper

The Austin, Shady Hollow, family - Cat, Ben (Bubby), Ben, Archie, Maggie

Tuesday, September 13th, we headed north and drove from Austin, Texas to Muskogee, Oklahoma.  On Wednesday, we drove from Muskogee, OK to Hannibal, Missouri where author Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) spent his childhood.  We went downtown for supper and then climbed up to the Mark Twain memorial lighthouse and walked along the Mississippi River.

The Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse - 54 feet tall, 200 feet above the Mississippi River, 244 steps from the Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn statue to the lighthouse

The view of the Mississippi River from the lighthouse

A statue of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn

 A riverboat cruising down the Mississippi River

A Mark Twain mural in downtown Hannibal, Missouri

Thursday morning we toured the Mark Twain boyhood home which included the Interpretive Center, the Huck Finn cabin, Becky Thatcher's House, Grant's drugstore, the justice of the peace office and the museum gallery.  We put some Mark Twain books on our reading list after our visit.  We drove to Kankakee, Illinois on Thursday afternoon.

The Mark Twain boyhood home and the famous Tom Sawyer white wash fence.

Friday we drove from Kankakee, IL to Manistee, Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan.  We had dinner down near the river and walked through the historic downtown area back to our hotel.

Sunset over the river that flows from Manistee Lake to Lake Michigan

Saturday morning we drove from Manistee to Traverse City, Michigan.  Dave dropped me off at the airport to pick up a rental car and he continued on to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.  While I vacationed with my mom and cousins on Mackinac Island, he drove to New  Hampshire.

MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN - September 17 - 24, 2022

Saturday, September 17th was arrival day for our vacation on Mackinac Island.  "How do you say it?  It ends in "awe", never "ack".  Never, ever make Mackinac rhyme with bric-a brac.  It rhymes with Saginaw."

We, Louise, Marilyn, Barb and I, gathered in Traverse City for our first night together.  I checked into our hotel in Traverse City and waited for the rest of the group to arrive.  My mom, Louise, arrived first, then Marilyn, then Barb.  We had pizza for supper and chatted and told stories.

The view of the beach and Lake Michigan from our hotel room in Traverse City, MI.

Sunday we drove from Traverse City to Mackinaw City then caught the ferry to Mackinac Island.  We walked from the ferry landing to our hotel, The Harbour View Inn.  The Harbour View Inn, built in 1820, was the home of Magdelaine LaFramboise, one of the most successful fur traders in the region.  We checked in with Pam, our group leader for the week, then spent the afternoon outside on our patio chit-chatting.  We had supper as a group in the hotel dining room, then moved to a meeting room for an overview of the week and to meet the others in the group.

Our first activity on Monday morning was a carriage ride through town and up the hill past the Grand Hotel to the Surrey Hills Museum.  At Surrey Hill, we switched from 2-horse carriages to a 3-horse drawn carriage and rode through the Mackinac Island State Park to Arch Rock and then down the hill to Fort Mackinac.  We spent some time touring the fort then walked back to the hotel for lunch.

Passing by the Grand Hotel on our 2-horse carriage ride

Arch Rock

Barb, B, Louise and Marilyn in front of Arch Rock.

A 3-horse carriage in the Mackinac Island State Park

A view of downtown and the Straits of Mackinac from Fort Mackinac

After lunch we listened to a lecture about the fur trade on the island then went for a walk towards downtown to look at the historic buildings.  Our walk ended at Biddle House where we listened to costumed interpreter talk about the lives of three Mackinac Island women, Agatha Biddle, Magdelaine La Framboise and Elizabeth Mitchell.   We split off from the group and had a drink at a local watering hole before going back to the hotel for a group supper.  For our evening lecture, Liz, a teacher and full-time resident, talked about living on the island year-round.  If you are curious about what they do over the long winters, how they manage groceries, etc., you can read more on Liz's blog The Quilted Turtle.

Tuesday morning we gathered in the hotel conference room for a lecture about the history of the island.  After the lecture, we walked east along the waterfront and our guide explained the historical buildings along the way.  Barb and I took off our shoes and went wading in Lake Huron before going back to the hotel for lunch.

B wading in Lake Huron

Horse drawn taxis picked us up in front of the hotel mid-afternoon and took us up to the Grand Hotel for tea in the parlor.  

Our Mackinac Island Tour group at the Grand Hotel

Louise and Barb having tea at the Grand Hotel.  We each got a three-tier tray of goodies, plus tea and our choice of champagne, sherry or sparkling raspberry juice.

Barb, Louise, Marilyn and B outside the Grand Hotel ice cream parlor

B enjoying a glass of champagne at the Grand Hotel afternoon tea

After tea, we walked down the hill to the waterfront and had a drink at the Pink Pony before going back to the hotel for supper.  Our evening lecture was about the birds on Mackinac Island.

A Grand Hotel carriage going up the hill as we were walking down.

Mackinac Island is famous for its fudge.  We stopped to watch it being made.

Our lecture on Wednesday morning was a continuation of last night's bird lecture with a focus on capturing, banding and studying bird migrations.  After the talk, we walked along the shore of Lake Huron and did some bird watching.  We had lunch at our hotel, listened to a lecture about the mammals on the island, then took a carriage ride up the hill to Fort Holmes.

The Sugar Loaf rock formation on Mackinac Island

Fort Holmes, Mackinac Island

Our guide, Jeff, described the plants, trees and birds as we walked down the hill through the forest back towards our hotel.  We had some time before supper so we stopped at Butterfly House and watched them release a new batch of butterflies.

Butterfly on a flower at Butterfly House

Newly hatched butterflies being released.

One of the newly hatched butterflies landed on the arm of a lady in our tour group.

A butterfly on B's cap.

We walked into town for an afternoon cocktail at the Mustang Lounge, the only bar that stays open on the island during the winter, then went back to our hotel for supper.  Our evening lecture was a question and answer session with one of the vets that takes care of the horses on the island.

We had been having beautiful weather but Thursday morning was much cooler and it rained.  Our morning lecture was about the summer cottages and how Mackinac Island became the summer resort destination for mid-Westerners.  We took a walk up to the east bluff and our guide provided us with the history of many of the summer cottages built along the bluff.

One of the summer cottages on the East Bluff of Mackinac Island

B, Louise, Marilyn and Barb on the East Bluff

We had a free afternoon to explore on our own so we went to the museum at St. Anne's church, the art museum and the library.  We did some shopping (we all bought fudge) and had an afternoon cocktail before meeting the group for supper at a local restaurant.

Looking across Marquette Park up at Fort Mackinac

Our Friday morning lecture was cancelled and we had some free time to explore on our own so we went back up to Fort Mackinac and explored the buildings we had missed and watched a rifle demonstration.  Today was the last day of our tour and we checked out of our hotel and rode the ferry back to Mackinaw City.

The birch bark chapel in Marquette Park.

A view of The Mackinac Bridge from the ferry to Mackinaw City

From Mackinaw City, we drove south along the shore of Lake Michigan.  We stopped in Charlevoix and wandered around downtown, took a coffee break, then walked up the hill to look at the famous mushroom houses designed by Earl Young.

A small mushroom house in Charlevoix.

A large mushroom house in Charlevoix.  This one was for sale.

We continued our drive south along the lake front to Traverse City where we spent the night.

B and Barb wading in Lake Michigan

Saturday was our travel day.  Marilyn had the earliest flight out and we dropped her off at the airport and said goodbye.  Louise, Barb and I went for a walk near Boardman Lake and had lunch at a local diner.  We still had a few hours before our flights, so we drove up the Old Mission Peninsula to the Mission Point Lighthouse.

We drove back to the airport, turned in our rental car, checked in for our flights and cleared through security.  Barb and I were on the same flight out to Chicago, then she flew home to LA and I flew to Portland, Maine.  Louise's flight was delayed and she got to spend an extra night in Traverse City, courtesy of the airline.  She made it home on Sunday.  

We really enjoyed our tour of Mackinac Island and are already discussing where we want to go on next years trip.

Until next time...