A Return to Galena Illinois

This fall we headed south to visit our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren to spend their fall break with them.  Their break didn't start until Wednesday, so we stopped at a few places along the way on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  Our first stop was the La Crosse Marsh on Sunday.  Then on Monday we went to Galena, Illinois.  This was our second visit to Galena.  The first time we went was back in 2017.  We didn't get to see and do everything we wanted, so we thought it was time for a return trip.  I don't want this post to be a repeat of my last two Galena posts, so if you want more in-depth information on Galena check out "Our Visit to Galena, Illinois:  Part One", and "Our Visit to Galena, Illinois:  Part Two".

In my previous Galena posts I mentioned how expensive everything was and how they charge for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING.  I'm surprised they don't charge you for using a public restroom like they do in Europe. 😆 Well, with inflation, it's gotten worse.  When I re-read my old posts I saw how much prices went up since 2017.  A trolley ride in 2017 was $18, now it's $22.  The museum was $10, now it's $15.  Also, combo tickets for the trolley/Belevedere Mansion/Dowling House aren't available as a three some anymore because the trolley business was sold to a new company.

I really wanted to do the trolley ride more than anything and after reading the reviews on Trip Advisor, it seemed the best thing to do.  Everyone recommended getting on the first trolley of the day so we would know what we wanted to go back to and see more of later in the day.  We rose super early as usual and we were there before the town was even awake.  Because nothing was open but coffee shops we got prime, free parking next to the park (all other parking in Galena you have to pay for) and then decided to cross the bridge and explore the park.  We didn't get to spend any time in the park on our last visit, and this visit was all about seeing and doing things we missed on our first visit to Galena.

Grant park sits high on a hill with a beautiful view of downtown Galena.

It was so peaceful and quiet in the morning;  nothing but joggers and dog walkers.

The park is named after one of the city's most famous residents Ulysses S. Grant.  You can read all about the history of the park below.

Lots of memorials and statues in this park.  I loved these black urns filled with fall mums.

There is a fountain in the park.

And a gazebo.

And here is the statue of Grant the park was created to display.  

I love how the statue is positioned so he overlooks the city.

A memorial to those who served in the Civil War, and there are also three different canons in this park (not pictured).

After strolling through the park, it was time for our trolley tour!  The trolley takes you on a one hour narrated tour through the Galena Historic district.  You learn all about the history of Galena and see the homes and sites it is most famous for.

Did you know 85% of Galena, and over 800 buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places?  That's incredible.

As we went through the neighborhoods, our trolley guide pointed out the most significant homes, their origins, and who lived there.  It was fascinating to hear, but I wish I also received a written guide because now I look at these photos and I can't remember most of them.  So you will just have to enjoy the beautiful  19th century architecture for most of them.

Above and below is the old public school house which now has been converted to condominiums.

These next two photos show the beautiful building the EXPENSIVE museum is held in.  My word, $15.00 admission to get into this little museum.  I could go to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for around that price and spend the whole day there.  I wonder how many people like me are turned off by that price, and if they would get more visitors if they reduced it to $5-8 per person.  

We were surprised to see so many homes for sale in Galena, it made us wonder if their economy was not doing well.  We were also surprised to find out they were not as expensive as you would think they would be.  Our tour guide told us the average home price in Galena was $294,000, which isn't any different in my neck of the woods.

This cute log cabin was located right beneath Uylsses S. Grant home.  It was built in 1851 in Elizabeth, Ill. and moved to Galena Illinois.

This is the famous Ulysses S. Grant home.  We were so disappointed that it was closed when we were visiting Galena.  It's open Wednesday through Sundays and it only asks for a $5.00 donation per person.  So the most reasonably priced attraction, and the attraction I most wanted to visit, wasn't even open. 😢😡

Photo Credit

Nearby the Ulysses S. Grant home is this mansion which is now used as office spaces.

On the trolley tour the guide pointed out the most interesting looking homes and some quirky facts about them.  The gazebo in this yard for example used iron doors from old elevators from New York City.

This Victorian home is beautiful, but kinda spooky too,  I almost expect Morticia Adams to walk out the front door. 😂

I really loved riding through the neighbors and seeing all the beautiful houses.  I loved the smaller, more insignificant ones too, like the one pictured below.  Isn't it cute?

This grand home is located right across the street from Grant park.

Ok, our guide didn't point it out, but we sure noticed it.  This was the one and only Trump/Vance sign in town.  All the other homes/businesses had Harris/Walz signs.  We thought these homeowners were very brave to be the only Trump supporters in this very liberal town.

This is the Belvedere Mansion which is open for tours.  We were going to tour it but it didn't get great reviews on Trip Advisor so we decided to skip it and perhaps save it for another time.

And this is the Dowling House, Galena's oldest home.  

Galena's Post Office.

After our tour was over, the Galena shops were open, so we decided to start walking and shopping and then get some lunch.  After reading restaurant reviews on Trip Advisor, we decided to go to Durty Gurts for lunch.  Oh my goodness! This place lived up to its reviews.  We split a "Blue Moon Burger" and chocolate milk shake.  Both were absolutely incredible!  I can't believe I didn't take any photos, but you can check out their website.  There are plenty of food photos and pictures of the establishment there.  We really like  the atmosphere of the place too.  

Our trolley guide told us that we could go into Galena's oldest hotel to see old photos of Galena and read about its history.   That is one thing I would not have done had I not heard about it on the trolley ride;  and it's FREE too!

The hotel has so much history!  They have a movie that plays non-stop that you can watch.  We did stop and enjoy the movie.  It was nice to rest our feet a while too.  I think I enjoyed the movie more than my husband did, who used the time to take an afternoon nap,  😏

The lobby is just gorgeous.  There is a restaurant open to the public that you can enjoy too.

Usually my husband is the one who likes his photos taken next to statues, but I was the one who got to sit next to Uyllses S. Grant on this trip.

The last time we were in Galena it was so busy because everyone was there for the Halloween parade.  This time, the streets were very quiet.  

I'm not into Halloween or Halloween decor, but I did find this skeleton display very interesting and so well done!

I love how this white building stands out from the rest.

After walking all day, it was time to hit the road again for our next leg of the journey:  Springfield Illinois!  That was a pleasant surprise!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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Coloring Through the Book of Psalms

Many of my regular readers know I Bible Journal and use to regularly post my Bible Journaling pages.  I had to stop Bible Journaling because it is very time consuming.  My garden just really ate up a lot of time in the growing season and during the winter I was recovering from hip surgery.  I did find another creative outlet to Bible Journaling that wasn't quite as complex and less time consuming, and that is a coloring book of Psalms.  Here I read a psalm, write some reflections about the psalm, and then color a page while I meditate on that psalm.  I purchased my book at a local Christian boutique, but you can also buy it on AMAZON.

The first pages of the book has a lovely floral design you can color or leave blank if you wish.  I chose to color mine.  On all the pages, my coloring medium of choice was colored pencils so they wouldn't bleed through to the other side.

There is a page where you can write in to whom you are gifting the book and leave a message.  I left mine blank since it was to myself.

The beginning pages of the book.

There is an "introduction" page where you can read how to get the most of your book.

Each page has a date, which I ignored, as I couldn't keep up with reading on those exact dates.  A verse is highlighted at the top, and then there is a psalm to read (or just a portion of a psalm) and a space to write some reflections about the psalm.  

You might be thinking, I couldn't possibly color an entire page a day.  You are correct.  Neither could I.  There are approximately five or six non-coloring pages in-between the coloring pages. I would usually read one page a day, then color for a short while.  By the time I was done reading five or six pages, I had the entire page colored.

I used a Bible Commentary to get ideas of what to write about in the reflections section.  I would read the psalm, then google the Enduring Word Bible Commentary to see what they had to say about the psalm.  I would write down the highlights of the commentary.  You can do whatever works for you.  You can just jot down your own personal reflections.  I did this to help me dig into God's Word more.

I know we shouldn't put God on the back burner, or neglect our daily devotions, but we do have seasons of life that are just crazier than others and this was a way to keep me in God's word in a more simple, less time consuming way.

I think this is also a great book for people that don't like to Bible Journal because it requires too much creativity.  Coloring is simple and relaxing, and everyone can enjoy it no matter their skill level. 

I love to color and I found coloring these pages, meditating on the verses as I colored so therapeutic.

Some pages are easier and more enjoyable to color than others.  I always love coloring pretty flowers like in the page above.  I dislike coloring busy pages like the one below, but I did it anyway, working a little bit on it everyday trying to memorize the scripture at the same time.

 I will be back next week with more pages from this book, plus I'll show you a new coloring devotional book I just got in the mail.  It is perfect for winter.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!