Traveling Tuesday: Historic Honeymoon

Traveling Tuesday: Historic Honeymoon

Forty-one years ago today, I married my best friend. We didn’t have a lot of money, so fancy locations that one had to fly to were out of the question. Instead, we decided to explore Pennsylvania and West Virginia: Gettysburg, Strasburg (Amish country), Philadelphia, Valley Forge, and Harper’s Ferry. By the way, we had rain…lots of rain …the entire week we were away. Check out this photo taken with our little Kodak 110 – awful isn’t it?

First stop: Gettysburg, a mere one hour’s drive from the church where the ceremony was held. We felt very flush putting ourselves up in the Holiday Inn, and the following morning set out for Gettysburg National Military Park, a nine-square mile area that includes the battlefield, cemetery, memorials, and visitor center. We followed the auto tour which took about three hours because of getting out at the numbered stops to explore and read the information. An interesting and sobering experience.

The following day we took a walking tour through Gettysburg and visited the Lincoln Train Museum, Soldier’s National Museum, Lincoln Room Museum, Hall of Presidents and First Ladies, and the Jennie Wade House. (I’m not sure Wes understood at that point just how much of a history nerd I was!)

Day three found us on Route 30 heading a little over an hour northeast to Strasburg, located in

Pexels/Kurt Anderson

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and seemingly the heart of Amish country. Because of my love of trains we took another train ride, this time on the Strasburg Railroad “The Road to Paradise since 1832” according to the brochure. After a 45-minute trip in the fifty-year-old train which featured coal oil lamps and a pot-belly stove, we visited the Train Museum, Traintown, and The Amish Village. Looking back I wonder at the Amish people’s willingness to put themselves on display. For this girl who was raised in urban and suburban locations, learning about running a farm was an eye-opening experience.

Yet another hour east, and we were in Philadelphia where we took the trolley, visited City Hall, Independence National Historic Park, the tavern frequented by the Founding Fathers, Dolly Todd Madison’s house and garden, the Post Office Museum, Ben Franklin’s tenant houses, and of course, the Liberty Bell. As we finished up our day, we were pummeled from above by acorns being thrown by a chattering squirrel.

Pexels/Kevin Ku

We were on the downhill slide of our week, so headed west and stopped in Valley Forge, home of George Washington’s headquarters. More battlefields, cannons, and memorials awaited. The last two days were spent in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a tiny town of 361 at the 1980 census. A gorgeous valley located where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet, history runs deep here. The site of John Brown’s raid against the armory in an unsuccessful effort to start a slave rebellion. Named for Robert Harper who purchased the land in 1747, and whose heirs sold a portion to the federal government to build the armory, Harpers Ferry was the site of five battles during the American Civil War. Sources differ about the number of times the town changed hands: one says eight, another twelve. A hike to the top of Jefferson Rock enabled us to see three states (West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland). In case, you're wondering Harpers Ferry lost their apostrophe in 1891 when the United States Board on Geographic Names updated the name.

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Love and Chocolate

She just needs a job. He wants a career. Is there room in their hearts for love?

Ilsa Krause and her siblings are stunned to discover their father left massive debt behind upon his death. To help pay off their creditors and save the farm, she takes a job at Beck’s Chocolates, the company her father despised and refused to supply with milk. Then she discovers her boss is Ernst Webber, her high school love who unceremoniously dumped her via letter from college. Could life get any more difficult?

A freshly-minted university diploma in his hand, Ernst Webber lands his dream job at Beck’s Chocolates. His plans to work his way up the ladder don’t include romantic entanglements, then Ilsa Krause walks back into his life resurrecting feelings he thought long dead. However, her animosity makes it clear she has no interest in giving him a second chance. Can he get her to change her mind? Does he want to?

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/mdQerZ