#268: The Lincoln Trail (2nd Ed, page 790)

Sunday, July 21, 2019

The Presidential Museum opened in 2005.

The Lincoln Douglas debates

The only known document to bear the signatures of both Lincoln and Douglas.

The original tombstone of their dear son Eddy who died at Age 3 of tuberculosis in 1850.

The Lincolns in the White House.

Lincoln's cabinet

Mary and her dressmaker and confidante, Elizabeth Keckly (I had appreciation for this because I just finished reading Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker)

Lincoln's portrait when he entered the White House....

And just a few years later after leading this country through four years of Civil War.  So sobering to so tangibly see the toll it took on this great man.

And when he finally succeeded in seeing our country through it's most tumultuous of times..... he was assassinated, the first American President to which this happened. 

Within walking distance (or a very short drive) of the Museum, is the only home where Lincoln ever lived.  You can take tours of the home.  They last about 15-20 minutes and are free of charge. However, you need tickets.  Groups are maxed out at 15 people.  Tickets are only given out in person and only for the day of the tour you are taking; they cannot be reserved in advance.

His door.

Me at his front door.

The law office where he worked.

The Old State Capitol.

The "House Divided" speech was given here.  He also lay in state here after his assassination at the age of 56.

I also went to the Train Depot where he gave his Farewell address in February 1861 as he left for the White House to assume the Presidency.  He never returned during his lifetime.

The church the Lincoln's attended (currently closed for renovations)

And his tombstone, located in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

His wife and three of his four sons are here as well.

Verdict:  Unequivocally Yes!  This was left out of the first book, but Ms. Schultz got it right by adding it to the 2nd Edition!  The Museum is SO well done.  My friend (Age 42) commented that it was quite possibly the best museum she's ever seen.  There are two "movies" and both are absolutely fabulous.  The pre-White House area and the White House area are both incredible.  I would allow a bare minimum of two hours to do this museum.  Cost: $15 for adults.  There are discounts for students, children, seniors and military.  Worth every penny!

I will say that Springfield itself is nothing to write home about.  Many areas of the city seemed run down, with cracks in the roads and sidewalks and plants growing through.  There were many run down homes and poverty-stricken areas, homeless people, etc.  HOWEVER, the Lincoln sights (all of them! but the museum in particular!) were absolutely incredible.  I'm not sure everyone in the world would consider this a "must do".  But every American should!

#267: Daytona Speedway (pg 748, 2nd Edition)

July 14, 2019

On the Daytona Speedway Track!

Crossing the finish line - feels good! 😉

This year's Daytona 500's winning car!

Victory Lane

Start your engines!

Sitting in the seats....

And soaking in the view.

I've got the whole place to myself!

In the media room sitting in the exact same spot that the race car drivers sit when they are interviewed after their races.

My husband.... contemplating a 2nd career choice.

After checking out the track, stands, etc, we went into the museum.

I had no idea the history of this race - how it used to just take place on the highway and beach.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Verdict:  No, Daytona Speedway is not something you need to experience before you die, unless you happen to be a diehard NASCAR fan.  Then, I imagine this would be your holy pilgrimage.  I, however, am not.  Can't say that I've ever watched a single race.  And, also, I'm sure it's a much different experience if you come here during Speedweeks (the two weeks leading up to Daytona 500) or to the Daytona 500 itself.  What we did was the "All Access Tour", a 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour of the facility at a cost of $26/adult.  I will say, however, that even though I give this a "No" and even though I'm not a NASCAR enthusiast, I'm still glad we did this!  We both really enjoyed the tour, learned a lot and have a new appreciation for the sport.  And, as always with my travels, I love that I can "picture" where all of this takes place.  And whatever it is you are picturing..... it's bigger! It's only 60 miles North of Orlando, so next time you're visiting the theme parks, take a couple hours out of your day and visit the speedway!

#266: Bairro Alfama (2nd Ed, pg 240)

June 30, 2019

My first time in Portugal!

A beautiful country with my beautiful girls!

Here we are hiking up to the castle overlooking the Bairro Alfama

And then walking through it. 

There weren't any great places to take pictures, honestly.  There were a bunch of stalls throughout the neighborhood with lights and taps for drinks and places where you could clearly see were make-shift bars and places where people would play music.  But to be honest, there really wasn't anything noteworthy about the place during the day.

Climbing around Castle of St. George, where King Alfonso Henriques erected a royal castle after the city was recaptured in 1147.

Standing guard!

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!

Verdict:  No.  To be honest, if this entry would have been listed as "Castelo de Sao Jorge", I might have made this a yes.  We loved the castle and it was well worth the price of admission (10 Euros/adult and kids were free).  But the entry is titled "Bairro Alfama" and then just makes mention of this castle, the "protective shadow" over the neighborhood of Alfama.  Alfama may be a totally different experience at night - it looks like it probably is.  But at least during the day, it's just a nice walk down some steep streets and twisting alleyways.... not something you need to do before you die.

#265: Tibidabo (Not in book, but should be!!)

 June 26, 2019

Tibidabo is not easy to get to.  We took a train (metro), then a bus and then a funicular to get there.

But it's all worth it!  Because you are rewarded with going to an amusement park..... on top of the world with views like this!!!

If you ask my kids what their highlight of spending a week in Spain was, they will tell you..... Tibidabo!

And if you ask me, I'd say the same thing!

Where else in the world can you ride a roller coaster with this as your view??

And while the mountain top views of Barcelona are your view on one side, this incredibly beautiful Cathedral -on-a-vista is your view on the other.  It's INCREDIBLE.

Our view from one of the rides.

Also our view from one of the rides.

And also our view from one of the rides.

A selfie of my husband and daughter from one of the rides with the cathedral on one side....

And Barcelona on the other!

Best selfies ever!

 I am in that red car with three of my kids.  My husband took this pic.  

Log ride!

We all loved the brand new Virtual Reality ride!

My only complaint about Tibidabo is that it closes too early!  It closes at 9pm in the summer when the sun doesn't even set until 9:30!  They need to push that closing time back to 10pm in the summer!

But alas, 9:00 came and we wore out our welcome....

But we stayed to watch the sunset on the stopes of the cathedral.  And that was pretty freaking awesome.

Verdict:  If Parc De Montjuic has a place in the book, then this most certainly should too!  In my opinion, I'd replace Par de Montjuic with Tibidabo.  There's just no other place in the world like it and all 6 of us LOVED it!  But word to the wise..... it takes longer than you think to get there and 3.5 hours is not enough.  We were hoping to get there by 3 or 4 pm, but when all was said and done, we didn't walk into the park until 5:30 and it closed at 9:00.  We all wished we had another 1-2 hours.  So, I would recommend a minimum of 4-5 hours for this experience.