TREATS IN WISCONSIN: CEDARBURG AND GREEN BAY

Traveling as a couple requires some give and take. In spite of having been married over 37 years, we have our differences. (Surprising, I know. I'm sure this isn't true for any other oldy-weds, right?)  Bob humors me by detouring for chocolate, art museums, and all things quaint, and I humor him by detouring for anything animal related and college football stadiums.

On our Wisconsin trip, we had some of that give-and-take that ended up being a win-win. We both got something out of the other person's passion.  

MY STOP was "historic" Cedarburg, a borough founded in 1845 by Irish and German immigrants. (How Germans and Irish could live in the same place is a mystery to me.) Together they built five dams, five mills, and a thriving community. Cedarburg has done a great job preserving their 19th century buildings, and coupled with a resort-ish main street shopping area, the town has become a tourist destination.

The St. Francis Borgia Catholic Church of Cedarburg was built in 1842 and is still going strong.

I was touched by several things in the St. Francis Borgia churchyard, including this plaque that reads, "In Memorium. Leona Lesage Grant & Rose Weber. Born to eternal life, November 9, 1999. Killed when struck by a car when they crossed the street after attending morning mass. Safe in the arms of Jesus." 

I was also intrigued by this statue of a woman holding what looks like an empty blanket:

This is the plaque on the base:

We did a little window shopping and met some of the locals:

And then this window display for Amy's Gourmet Apples caught my eye:

Suddenly, I was feeling the need for some fruit in my diet. Besides, who could resist an apple endorsed by these groups?

The shop was basically a Temple of Chocolate:

But I knew what I wanted:

The chocolate and cashew-covered apple was hands-down the best I've ever had. Ever. The apple was crisp and just the right tartness, the chocolate was fresh (we watched workers dipping the apples in the store), and the cashews were plentiful.

All I can say is TAKE A DETOUR TO CEDARBURG. It's worth it. Even Bob would agree.

Later on we headed north on BOB'S DETOUR, stopping at a cheese shop on the way for some sustenance. Jalapeno muenster cheese curds? Another Best-I've-Ever-Had treat:

Bob's destination was Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers.

There was no football game being played on the day we were there, but Bob was positively giddy just to be in the presence of the legendary Vince Lombardi, coach of the Packers from 1959-1967:

Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships during those years, something no one else has done. His Packers also won the very first Super Bowl, and then they won the second one. As long as he was coach, they never had a losing season.

Who is that fellow about to toss a football to Vince?

It's Curly Lambeau, Vince's predecessor who was the founder of the Green Bay Packers and the coach from 1920 to 1949:

SInce we couldn't attend one of the games, we had to be virtual fans:

Oops. Apparently we didn't read the sign that explained we should be leaping into the arms of those statues (hence the padded wall in front of them):

We took a look inside, just to "feel the love" for the Packers.

If my chocolate shop in Cedarburg is a Chocolate Temple, this place is definitely a Football Temple:

President Nixon spoke at the dedication of this stadium:

Cool! I could buy Bob a Green Bay jersey for his birthday!

Um, maybe not . . .

Gotta love this classy architecture:

Who knew football stadiums could be so FUN?

Like I said at the beginning of this post, you gotta give a little to get a little, right?