This particular road trip started out in Boerne, Texas where we stopped to see a young couple we know who are remodeling a home in the country. They invited us to see and we were impressed! Jon browsed in their old shed out back and had a blast.
They recommended lunch at Epicure in Boerne, Texas where we enjoyed a sandwich at this gourmet food shop, out on their patio. A winner! If you haven't been to Boerne, they have a nice downtown Main Street lined with cute shops and eateries.
Down the road, we stopped in Pipe Creek, Texas as we drove to find Polly's Chapel, a old church built in 1858 - and it was a treasure to find! We took lots of photos.
Next was Bandera, Texas, the country capital of the world - so they say! I can't say there was anything there that attracted us to stay (we're not country-western at all) but there was a general store where they served root beer floats, and we shared one for two!
We needed to be in Castroville, Texas by early evening because of a tour we had scheduled. We made it in time to stop at Haby's Bakery (famous Alsatian - French/German - shop) for a couple of pastries and then to Castroville Cafe for dinner. The food was delicious and the place was just perfect!
Now to our tour - it was so exciting. Landmark Inn is a historical site in Castroville, and we had stayed there a long time ago. This time we had read on line there was a lantern tour (they have all sorts of events throughout the year!). Eight presenters were dressed in period costumes and shared with us as we walked the trails and heard their stories from history that aren't in textbooks. There were even cookies and cakes before the tour started, ones from a recipe book from that era as well! We are going back to Castroville soon, as there is a long walking tour of historical sites (lots of them, there!) and we didn't have the time to complete.
We drove on to Lytle, Texas (yeah, our last name!) and stayed in a hotel there, before waking up Sunday morning for the trek back home. We drove through several small towns, including Poteet (the strawberry capital of Texas - not so impressive in the summer), we ate at La Portal Mexican Restaurant in Plesanton (again, not impressed) - but the Live Oaks there were impressive for sure! - and stopped in at a festival in Elmendorf. Ever heard of that city? Neither had we, but the festival was something like you might see in Mayberry days...
We stopped at the outlets in San Marcos and opted for a movie after that, before settling into our own bed that night, as we fell asleep smiling at all the adventures we had just a few miles down the road...
What would we recommend? Castroville, Texas for sure!
Comments