I’m happy to report that our hiatus from travel officially came to an end this past weekend. We took the two-and-a-half hour drive south to La Crosse, Wisconsin to visit friends Danny and Sabrina and to help celebrate their daughter Charli’s fourth birthday. We had a great time reconnecting with them, meeting more of their family, and seeing Charli open her presents.
Small-ish Town, Big Vibes
With a population of just north of 50,000, La Crosse is a smaller town, but in all the right ways. It has music, good food, and culture without many of the drawbacks of a larger city.
We enjoyed one of the best meals we’ve had in a while at a restaurant called, Lovechild. They didn’t take reservations but we got there early to get a table. Every single course was excellent and the prices were around twenty-five percent less than we would’ve paid for a similar meal in the Twin Cities. If you find yourself in La Crosse I would highly recommend this restaurant for a special occasion.
In the fall the city hosts the largest Oktoberfest festival outside of Munich. I’d love to make it back for that but it would have to be for 2022 because accommodations for this year are already booked solid. It looks like we'll have to wait until next year to get our "Oom pa-pa" on.
Castle La Crosse Bed & Breakfast
While in La Crosse we stayed in the Maple Suite of the Castle La Crosse Bed & Breakfast.
To say that this was a memorable stay would be an understatement. From the moment we were greeted it was clear that hosts, Billy and Brandon, have a passion for what they do.
Their stunning house is truly a castle, it’s been lovingly restored and decorated with antiques from the late 1800’s and older. The woodwork throughout the house is the most beautiful I’ve seen anywhere and it stands to reason because a nineteenth century lumber baron built it.
This dark chandelier that hangs in the library came from a seventeenth century French chateau.
The breakfasts were truly gourmet without being unhealthy and portion sizes were just right.
The only downside to the entire weekend was the humidity. La Crosse is nestled between rivers and bogs and this creates one steamy situation in the summer. That humidity seems to feel worse just as the sun is going down. Saturday evening Dark Sky registered 88% humidity. The only thing I can compare it to is central Florida.
Now that I know everything La Crosse has to offer we’ll surely be back. Maybe just not during the peak heat of summer. Now that we’re back I have to get used to my boring breakfasts again.
This weekend was a great reminder how important it is to slow down from time to time and really savor life. Every single day we wake up on this Earth is a miracle after all. I'm very grateful for this journey we're on.
Click on the slideshow link below to view more of our photos:
All for now.
With Gratitude,
Eric Vance Walton
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