A most unusual trip for us. We flew nowhere, we drove nowhere. This journey brought us to the scenic city of La Crosse Wisconsin, by passenger train, hugging the shores of the beautiful Mississippi shoreline.

Saint Paul union depot
We began our journey at the Saint Paul union depot. The Saint Paul Depot may look unimpressive from the outside but its interior is nothing short of breathtaking.
Its concourse features stunning stained glass artwork in an arched roof design. The history of the depot dates back to around the time of World War I.
As a young person, I always enjoyed when I had the opportunity to ride the rails.
Today’s passenger cars are equipped far more comfortably than those that I experienced as a boy. Certainly, they are far more comfortable than the cramped quarters of an airplane. The seats are spaced adequately so that a passenger can set the seat back far down, place legs on a protruding leg rest, allowing one to fully recline.
Beautiful views along the Mississippi River kept us joyfully occupied until we reached our destination.
Upon our arrival, our hotels shuttle was waiting to bring us to it’s beautiful facility facing the Mississippi River.
Our Riverside room on the seventh floor offered glorious views up and down the river and the wonderful grounds along the shoreline.
A first look out our rooms window had us quickly yearning for the walkway along the rivers shoreline. That day we walked 4 1/2 miles along beautifully paved surfaces along the rivers edge, through wonderful gardens, and some interesting city streets.
For dinner, we ate at a quirky restaurant called Buzzard Billy‘s. An eclectic joint serving some unusual fare along with more commonly recognized foods. We had alligator and a bowl of beer cheese soup. Both were incredible, far exceeding my expectations. The alligator tasted somewhat like calamari and the soup was quite different and better than any beer cheese soup I have ever had.
Then, back to the room where we could enjoy the wonderful river view while indulging in a fine martini, a not so infrequent daily afternoon habit.
The following day, after a nice satisfying breakfast, we spent most of the day walking trails, streets, through gardens, over a walking bridge that spanned some waterways. All in all, we walked 7 3/4 miles that day, something we had not accomplished for a very long time.
La Crosse offers an incredible variety of restaurant choices within easy walking distance from our hotel. Our second day dinner was spent at The Bierhaus, a German Pub that had some great German beers to accompany a nice fish dinner they offered that day.
Another evening of gazing from our hotels room at people walking or running or just sitting, and boats making their way up or down the river, was all we needed to enjoy some relaxing time while sipping on a martini.
Our last day had us wandering the streets of this old historic city. Repurposed 19th century buildings might turn a structure from a no longer needed manufacturing plant to an interesting hotel while candy shops, ice cream parlors or an antique shop might occupy spaces in ornate structures from days long gone.
Five more miles of testing our walking shoes, we, once again, found ourselves back in a shuttle that would take us back to the old La Crosse Train Station for our journey back home.