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Monday, January 28, 2019

Southwestern RV Trip – Days12 – San Antonio (Fredericksburg)

Monday was designated as Fredericksburg day and we made the 1½ hour drive north to arrive around noon and while the girls went shopping, I went to the museum.  The town has obviously turned itself into a tourists Mecca as it has about four blocks of shops and restaurants.  Located in the Texas Hill Country, it is the seat of Gillespie County and has a population of 10,000+.


Fredericksburg is the hometown of Chester Nimitz who commanded the US Navy in the pacific during WWII and was one of nine officers elevated to the five star rank during the war.  It was no surprise that NationalMuseum of the Pacific War was located there and it was comprised of the Nimitz Galley in the former Nimitz Hotel and the George H.W. Bush Galley which is a history of the war in the pacific.  I started in the Nimitz Gallery which was about the life of the man.



Between the two galleries is the Walk Of Honor and Memorial Wall which honors units, ships, and individuals who served in the war and the Plaza of the Presidents which honors the 10 US Presidents who served in the war.  





On the other side of the outdoor space is the Japanese Garden of Peace which was a gift from the people of Japan to the people of the United States, in honor of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

Then it was into the Bush Gallery which detailed the war in the Pacific including events leading up to war.  





As an avid watcher of the History and American Hero’s Channels, I was pretty well versed in WWII so there weren't many surprises along the way.  I liked the models, the full sized equipment such as the last remaining Japanese mini sub, a PT Boat, and a full sized B-25 bomber, in the Doolittle Raid part of the museum – yes Jimmy and I are distant cousins.






I thought the museum was first class all the way with many models, actual pieces from the war, and videos.  It was as well laid out and informative as any I've been to and if in the area, it is definitely worth a stop and the $12 old person admission.

Like much of the Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg was settled by the Germans and named for Prince Frederick of Prussia so for lunch we decided to try one of the several German restaurants in town.  Since it was 2pm, the place we wanted to try had already closed so we went to Der Lindenbaum which had four stars on Trip Advisor and was run by a woman from Munich so we got to compare notes about Southern Germany.  




Bev had a pastrami sandwich and Pat had ham and cheese so no pics of them.  I began with a glass of very good draft Octoberfest dark beer.  For my meal, it was Jagerschnitzel with German Potato Salad and Red Cabbage.  The potatoes and cabbage were both a little too sweet for my taste and the schnitzel was a bit over-cooked so this meal could only be rated as okay.  Almost forgot the pic.


After that we stopped Opa’s Smoked Meats for a few packages of their smoked sausages and cooked white brats – all made on site. 



We had considered camping for a few nights in Fredericksburg and now I wish we had done it.

Then we made the drive back to Schertz, TX using the much more relaxing back roads (which I am always impressed with in Texas) where we met up with Kathy and Keith at the Anchor Bar and as Kathy told us this place has an agreement with the original Anchor Bar (inventor of Buffalo Wings) in Buffalo, NY to use their name and recipes. 


We had a few adult beverages, toasted Keith’s retirement that day and said our good buys for this visit.

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

1/21/19 event date

12 comments:

  1. Love Fredricksburg the museum looks very interesting. And German food we really enjoy hope to get back that way someday again. We have been to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo a few times, love their wings !

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  2. We live in Fredericksburg Virginia so I had to read that twice! I thought Larry came for a visit :) Looks like a lovely town with plenty to do. Our little downtown is tons of fun with building in use since the 1700's. Martha Washington's house is still here too and available for tours. Tons of Civil War history. Enjoy your travels!

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  3. Larry, Very cool museum! It's been years since we've been to Fredericksburg TX. Back then we weren't into museums very much and the National Museum of the Pacific War has really expanded. I basically remember the Nimitz Hotel portion of the complex. We loved the town but had the same experience with the German food. OK...but not great. Happy Travels! Snow here tonight... Take Care, Dave

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  4. How were the wings at the Anchor?

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  5. We visited the National WWI museum in Kansas City Missouri and I really enjoyed that. Jagerschnitzel is at least a fun word.

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  6. Interesting museum and love most German restaurants but it's sometimes hard to find really good schnitzel! It amazed me when we lived in Germany and their potato salad was cold, while our German potato salad is hot. Sounds like you had a good time there, a good place to visit!

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  7. So glad you gave us this review for our future stay in Fredricksburg. We will be volunteering at LBJ state park next winter and looking forward to the German food.

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  8. Looks like you're having a great day, and you missed the couple of inches of snow this morning, which is always a bonus. Texas Hill Country is really pretty. I wish I'd had a chance to visit that town. It looks very relaxing.

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  9. The museum looks like a really good & fascinating one - glad you liked it. Too bad your German meal was just okay. It looks like you are having another fun adventure.

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  10. It is a shame you couldn't have be in the hill country when the fields are full of Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush. I would have enjoyed the museum and would have loved to have seen the PT boat up close. My father was in the OSS and was captain on one of those during the war.

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