Fredericksburg. 10th October 2025.
After a hearty breakfast in the hotel we set off to explore the town of Fredericksburg. Although the Main Street is only a short distance from the hotel there are no pavements so walking on these busy roads is out of the question, a short drive was therefore necessary. We parked the car at the tourist information centre and slowly walked down the Main Street.
The town was founded by German immigrants in 1846 and their influence is very obvious as we passed several bier Kellers on the way to the Markt Platz.
Here in the gardens was a monument to the signing of a peace treaty between the Comanche and the early settlers which apparently was the only one never to be broken.
At the end of the Main Street was the Pioneer Museum a collection of buildings from some of the original settlers in the town.
Although some of the buildings have been moved from their original locations most are still where they were first built. That includes the shop where Sylvia is stood behind the till.
It made for a very interesting visit and gave a great insight into the life of the early settlers.
After a short stop for a coffee ( lemonade for Sylvia) and a pain au chocolate we walked back along the Main Street towards our next museum. The street is made up of an interesting mixture of shops but is rather spoiled by the volume of traffic flowing up and down including huge articulated lorries that look twice as big as anything we have in the UK. Interestingly the first letters of the streets intersecting with Main Street spell out “ ALL WELCOME” on the way into town and “COME BACK” going away from the centre.
One of the most famous residents of Fredericksburg was Admiral Nimitz who commanded the US fleet of the Pacific in World War 2, and in his honour the city built a museum, the National Museum of the Pacific War. The museum is located in the building that originally housed the Nimitz Hotel which was owned and operated by his family.
Sylvia was able to get a discount on her entry fee due to her previous teaching career unfortunately no such benefit being allowed for old milkmen.
The museum highlighted the Admiral’s naval service and the part he played in WW2 including representing the USA when the Japanese surrendered. Behind the museum is a Japanese Peace Garden a chance to reflect on some of the horrors of the war.
Returning to the hotel we were ready to enjoy a sandwich made with the provisions bought yesterday, unfortunately the fridge in which the salad and tomatoes were stored was too efficient. The tomatoes were like cricket balls and the iceberg lettuce lived up to its name, at least the cheese and ham were edible.
Tomorrow we move on to San Antonio.