7/20/2015
My body moved at the pace of a snail. The evening lasted longer than I had anticipated. It was a good thing we were taking a day off. I gathered myself for a good portion of the morning before we headed out to spend the day seeing Milwaukee.
Maria made us some nutrient dense food before we hit the town again. I needed the energy and fuel even though we were looking to try all the local specialties. On the top of my “to do” list was, try some famous Wisconsin cheese. We were sluggish but excited to take to the streets. The ambiance quickly took hold. It was easy to maneuver through the city. Smiling people greeted us around every corner. We found our way to a shop that sold an assortment of cheeses. We sat in the joint for an hour and tasted several flavors of cheese and spread.
Following the tasting of cheese we embarked on a search for the giant pretzel. With the German festival headlining the weekend, many places had run out of certain items of food. The giant pretzel was difficult to find. We stepped into several German restaurants to find the snack. When we finally located a giant pretzel, the complimentary spread was MIA. The pretzel had a smoky flavor. The treat had three textures. The outer covering of salt felt like tiny pebbles which melted away. I scraped most of the crystals off the bread to enjoy the soft and hard treat. The day continued in the same fashion as we walked from little business to little business trying all the items the city had to offer. All the while jets zoomed across the skies. They streaked across the sky and left trails miles long painted in the atmosphere. We continued on and found a place that served cheese curds. Of course the previous evening’s festivities began to take a toll so we returned to the ninth floor and caught a nap before dinner.
Don and Maria walked us to a popular Italian restaurant. We were seated along the river and the sun inched towards the horizon. The air was surprisingly fresh in that downtown area. We snapped tons of pictures and chatted while we ate. I wished I had more time to stay with family in the wonderful city but my cousin had work early the next morning and I had more ground to cover. It was necessary for everyone to get a good night’s sleep.
The day of rest was good for my psyche. The steps were light when I took off for Port Washington. Our accommodations were ambiguous at the start of the day but that was life on the road; a box of chocolates. Surprises were around every corner. When Crystal passed me on the road I signaled her to park the beast in a shopping center to my left. I needed to hydrate because the sun was lifting the life giving liquid right out of my body. While I took a break, Crystal went into Dr. Dawgs. We discovered the best veggie dogs we had ever eaten. The manager Ian donated a couple of spicy chipotle dogs to me and Crystal for lunch. As word spread through the restaurant about our mission, we began to make many new friends. The owner David showed lots of enthusiasm for what we were doing. They even gave us a light cupcake covered with rich chocolate on top. It was a perfect desert. When I left, my body had enough energy to get me to the town of Port Washington.
Navigating farmland was pretty easy. The country roads remained tranquil until I reached an area just outside of Port Washington. Suddenly runners popped up all around. The presence of strong runners gave my juices a boost. I ran a bit faster and ended up cruising right into town. A long downhill slope took me into the town and right to my surprise accommodation. Hello Holiday Inn Harborview. Crystal spoke with the manager there and arranged for us to stay in a deluxe suite with two different views. One window overlooked the pier and the other window overlooked the town.
The surprises culminated at The Pasta Shoppe. The Italian eatery provided us with to plates of spaghetti and two large pieces of garlic bread. The sauce was thick and the herbs blended well with the sweet tasting tomato sauce. We had excellent service and it turned out that a couple of their wait staff were runners. After the wonderful meal in the beautiful setting, we took our time strolling through the town and by the water. It was the perfect end to a great day.
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