This
was our first full day in Galveston and of course the girls wanted to check out
the shopping on Strand Street while I puttered around the coach, fixed a couple of things, and rested up
from four days of driving – oh to be young again. Since I like to see trains and ships, after
dropping them off, I drove to the north end of the island to see if any ships
were about and I was not disappointed as there were several at anchor – riding high
so likely empty.
In 1923 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased the house, and, situated across the street from the Sacred Heart Church, it served as the residence for Bishop Christopher E. Byrne. This is the pretty fancy catholic church.
Then
I spotted this guy actually moving toward a Texas port.
She
is the oil tanker Serene Sea and at 750’ long she is a good bit bigger than those
at anchor but only half as long as a super tanker – that would be a treat to
see one.
Our
primary reason for stopping in Galveston was to eat at the Gypsy Joynt after
seeing it on TV a couple of times. Pat
wasn’t feeling well so Bev and I headed to an older part of town and easily
found the place – very unimpressive from the outside.
Would
you believe that when we went to our main reason for this stop that I left the
memory card in my computer so these are a mix of shots from Bevs phone and the
web – can’t believe I did that. The inside has stuff everywhere.
We
began with the Sleazy Mac & Cheese ($11.99) for an appetizer which
contained mac, cheese, crawfish, bacon, asparagus, red pepper spread,
jalapenos, bread crumbs, and avocado. We
both loved it and took half home for later. Pic from the web.
Bev
had the Mediterranean Burger ($10.99) which was topped with artichoke hearts, red
pepper spread, kalamata olive, feta, spinach, tomato, onion, Greek dressing. She thought her burger was very good, which
is high praise from the “Burger Queen.”
I
had the Al Capone sandwich ($10.99) which had ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone,
lettuce, tomato, mayo, banana peppers, Italian Dressing, S&P. It was served
hot and I thought it was delicious – even better than a Muffaletta from NOLA’s Central Grocery.
The
next day was rainy so our main activity was to tour the Bishops Palace (or Gresham's Castle) which was the home of Walter and Josephine Gresham. He made his fortune as a lawyer and politician so seems like some things never change. The 19000 sq.ft Victorian house was finished in 1893 and was one of the
few structures that withstood the great hurricane of 1900. This first shot is from the web.
It costs $250,000 but I can’t imagine what it would cost to build the home today with all of the carved wood, inlaid marble, stained glass, etc. Here are several shots showing what I’m talking about.
It costs $250,000 but I can’t imagine what it would cost to build the home today with all of the carved wood, inlaid marble, stained glass, etc. Here are several shots showing what I’m talking about.
In 1923 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased the house, and, situated across the street from the Sacred Heart Church, it served as the residence for Bishop Christopher E. Byrne. This is the pretty fancy catholic church.
The
house is now owned by the Galveston Historical Foundation and self-guided tours
are available daily. A portion of each admission supports the preservation and
restoration of the property.
We
enjoyed our couple of days in Galveston and now it was time to move further
west. We found the Sandpiper RV Resort to be a good place to stay for a few days or an extended period and I would agree with them being a resort (a low end one). The streets and sites were all concrete including a patio with ample room and good grass between the sites. At $45/nite, it's a good value for a resort town.
The utilities all worked well including the cable TV and WiFi. The main thing they were lacking was amenities but they did have a nice infinity pool overlooking the park.
The utilities all worked well including the cable TV and WiFi. The main thing they were lacking was amenities but they did have a nice infinity pool overlooking the park.
Since we rarely use any amenities this was not an issue for us and I like the proximity to downtown so I would stay here again.
Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.
Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.
Have
a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
Larry
1/15-1/16/19
event dates
Looks like you had a nice stay in Galveston, now back on the road for a bit, enjoy the journey and travel safe.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved that sleazy mac & cheese and your Italian sandwich - yum! Gresham Castle is beautiful and so is that church! I think the RV park looks great - love that pool.
ReplyDeleteI love Galveston except for the one time we were there and it was so hot we and others were pouring bottles of water over our heads to cool off on a boat ride. The palace is magnificent and you have a great photos of it. Bev's burger looks and sounds great too!
ReplyDeleteTold you the Gypsy Joynt was good. We think we are going there next winter
ReplyDeleteLarry, As you know, I'm a guy who could sit and watch the ships all day! The Gypsy Joynt looks like a great place to eat! I checked out the menu and it's loaded with goodies. That Sleazy Mac and Cheese looks absolutely decadent. That castle/house is our kind of rainy day trip activity too. Looks pretty nifty! Travel Carefully and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a nice stay in Galveston. Continued safe travels.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed our stay in Galveston years ago. it was fun to walk around. The Gypsy Joynt looks like a fun place to eat. Are you heading to Tucson this trip? I've got a recommendation for a great little Taqueria.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.aquiconelnene.com/ We go to the North location.
ReplyDeleteLooks like your having fun.
ReplyDelete