vacation memories... a visit to Galena, Illinois

After our leisurely lunch with the kids, we continued on toward Dubuque.  Along the way, Steve was reading in his AAA guidebook and came across a listing for a little town in Illinois~~Galena.  So, as we enjoyed the beautiful views around us in northwest Illinois, we planned an afternoon diversion.  Once again, it felt so good and freeing not to be tied to a tight schedule while traveling.  In fact, we ended up spending about two hours in Galena, enjoying the downtown shops. 

The photos here might not fully capture the charm of this little town... But we thought it was great fun! 

One of the shops we really enjoyed was Poopsie's.  The store had something for everyone, kids and grown-ups alike.  Now, don't go sharing this information with anyone, and I do mean anyone, that Geoffrey knows... but he once again played the role of Best Big Brother by trying on fairy wings (yes... I said fairy wings) with little Hope.  In addition to her fairy wings, Hope ended up also getting a tutu and this beautiful headpiece.

And, after our shopping, we stopped in at a unique establishment which features root beer.  We indulged in root beer floats... Hope, in fact, enjoyed her first ever!  Geoffrey has never like pop, so he started with just the ice cream.  He did eventually try the root beer, and discovered he actually like it!  The owner was lots of fun, and the floats were delicious!

On our next stop through vacation memories, we will be arriving in Dubuque, Iowa.  See you there?