Amy wakes up before me and heads out for her first run of the Road Trip. I drag myself out of bed and do some exercises before taking a shower. When she returns, we head to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Breakfast is delightful: a fruit cup, a couple of breakfast sausages, some egg frittata and a biscuit, juice and coffee. After recovering from the long drive, we are ready to head out and explore this town.
As delightful as the breakfast is this B&B we have stumbled onto. Fredericksburg is touted (in "1,000 Places to See in Canada and the USA") as "Bavaria in Texas". Many Germans emigrated to Texas in the 19th century and the story is that many wound up in this town and others nearby (Boerne and New Braunfuls). One claim is that 20% of Texans can claim some direct German ancestry. This town has played on their history; they have several "German" restaurants (Auslander, some Bier Gartens and several Breweries) that serve Beer and traditional German Fare (Schnitzel, et al).
The Hoffmann Haus is a sprawling B&B that has a couple of dozen rooms in reconstructed (or so they appear) 19th century buildings. The "1,000 Places" book gives an entire paragraph to HH, which is why we are staying here. It all fits into the historical setting and German roots of this town.
What I found surprising and more interesting was that this was the boyhood home of Chester W. Nimitz, Fleet Admiral of the Pacific U.S. Navy during World War II. He was an exceptional student and when some soldiers (US Army) came through town on parade, he was impressed to the point of going to West Point. He applied and was qualified, but the quota of cadets was full for that year. He was asked if he would be interested in Annapolis, instead. Having no idea what that was, and being desperate to get out of Fredericksburg and the dull life working at his family's hotel, he jumped at the chance. (And lucky for the USA to have such a leader join the Navy.)
After the war, the town locals wanted to honor their favorite sun, so proposed creating a "Nimitz Museum". Ever the humble leader, he declined to be so honored unless the museum was dedicated to all who served with him. So was born the National Museum of the Pacific War. Quite a place to spend a few hours. In one building, the reconstructed Nimitz Hotel, Chester's ancestry and early life was described. The main building traces the history of the War in the Pacific from its roots in early Qin Dynasty China through to Pearl Harbor and on to the end of the war. (George H. W. Bush's role in the Pacific War is also described, this being Texas.)
Exhausted from the expanse of the museum, we returned back to the hotel to rest. Recovered, we headed out to the Auslander (foreigner, in German) for Beer and Jagerschnitzel. Amy had Iced Tea and Chicken Breast. All very tasty.
Having enjoyed our first true Road Trip/Tourist day, we retired to our room to rest and get some shows cleared off our DVR.
No comments:
Post a Comment