Greetings folks,
We celebrated Melody's birthday by spending some time in Dubuque. Dubuque is a river town along the Upper Mississippi River in northeast Iowa. We caught a good view of the city and river by riding up the elevator to the top of the bluff that overlooks the town. This elevator is a Victorian aged box car that travels up along some railroad type tracks. The price is right for round trip. Take a ride on the Fenelon Place Elevator.
We are glad that a food coop opened up in Dubuque. We always find some local foods to pick up at the Dubuque Food Coop in the old cabinetry district. Love the old brick and mortar architecture of this former manufacturing complex.
Lunch was at a place called fresh take in the downtown area. Small scale, handmade, and some tasty eats. Check out the old door handle from inside the building to add to the comfort.
Further north in the downtown area is a great bookstore, River Lights, and across the street is a place for a good cup of chai latte called Jitterz.
Then we headed out to the country side to visit the New Melleray Abbey. The monastery is situated in a pastoral setting to the south west of Dubuque. The monks build wooden caskets for sale. See the picture below for a look inside the church too.
The trails around the Swiss Valley Nature Center helped us work up an appetite.
The visitor center is worth the stop too.
We slipped back into downtown Dubuque for a great supper and birthday dessert at L May Eatery. Mike had a bison burger with a stout cheese and bourbon sauce - great choice. Mel got the salmon caesar salad. We split a pumpkin cheese cake with a birthday candle.
Happy Trails...
