Road trip to Galena

A couple Saturdays ago, James decided to take the day off from work so we could take a drive to the countryside and see the last remnants of the fall foliage before it was gone. We drove to the far northwest corner of Illinois to a little town called Galena. We had heard of how nice it is up in Galena with its old time shops lining Main Street and that the landscape is completely different from what you would find in the rest of Illinois. We pretty much have flat lands with corn over where we live. But we had heard reports of rolling hills in Galena, and not just small hills but big ones where you feel like you are in another part of the country. Illinois with rolling hills? Now this we have to see!


Road tripping buddies


Pretty farmland (can you see the rolls?) :)



The countryside



It was a 2 1/2 hour drive up to Galena and although you can't really tell from the pictures (taking them while in a moving car: not so great) there were actually major hills! At some points we felt like we were in Pennsylvania with its lush greenery and winding roads as you drove along the hills. We were on some really high points where you could look down and basically see a gorgeous valley of hills as far as your eye could see. It was incredible. Growing up on the east coast, I really miss the hills, so it was nice to get a small glimpse of that right here in Illinois.

Once we arrived in Galena it was absolutely picturesque with the big old mansions dotting the hills. You could see a bunch of white steeples that towered above the houses all the way up the hill. A very quaint old town that was absolutely packed with people! I was shocked at how many tourists were there. We absolutely could not find a single parking space that was available. Then by perfect timing we found a spot that the local boys scouts were charging $5 for and paid the man.

The weather was pretty brisk with high winds but the sun was out so that made it a little more bearable. We decided to just walk around the little downtown area and then find a place for lunch. The cobblestone sidewalks were full of people walking in and out of all the stores that lined the way. Old couples walked along with the wives pulling their husbands into yet another store as the husbands rolled their eyes. I am not a big "specialty shop" person so there was nothing that I really wanted to go into and spend money on. We just walked along enjoying the old architecture and imagining what the town must have been like back in the 1800s.

After working up an appetite we decided to look for a pub-like place where we could enjoy hot food and some tasty beer (lucky James).

Our lunch at Benjamin's



For an appetizer they had peanut butter and jelly stuffed jalapenos. We love spicy food and thought this was the strangest combination so we just had to try it. It didn't taste much like anything expect for fried peanut butter. ;-(



James enjoying a second beer and a nice hot reuben sandwich.


Grilled cheese please.

After lunch we strolled around and saw President Grant's old mansion and stopped at the Kandy Kitchen to buy homemade carmel apples and some gourmet candy corn. We didn't plan on staying for too long and decided to head back home before it got too dark.

The oldest house in Galena built in 1826


James enjoying his carmel apple

It was a nice break from the daily grind and although we didn't see too much fall foliage, it was a great time spent with my hubby. I'll take one of these days anytime!