After an overnight stop in Port Arthur, we arrived in Galveston. We took this route to avoid Houston, but decided to stay for a few days and enjoy the island. We walked downtown to the Strand. It was unnerving to see cruise ships looming over the downtown. The Strand was disappointing, as it seemed to consist primarily of shops selling tourist trinkets, but we really enjoyed looking at the architecture in the historic district. Ornate brick and stone commercial buildings gave way to colorfully trimmed Victorian houses.
The next day, we visited the Railroad Museum. This is a must see for train buffs. They have an amazing collection of railroad china and a nice selection of rolling stock.
We also visited the Gresham mansion, aka Bishop’s palace, a 19,000 square foot victorian built by a prominent Galveston family. Two floors are open to the public. Ornate wood, stained glass, and marble are featured in the rooms, and a beautifully carved curved stairway connects the floors.
On our walk back, we passed several wood carvings made from oak trees killed by salt water after the flooding from Hurricane Ike. Rather than chop down the deadwood, some homeowners commissioned artists to carve sculptures.
Lastly, here’s a good example of the weather we’ve been having. The last RVs (which you can’t see) down this road are about 200 ft away and the Gulf of Mexico is about 300 yards past that. This photo was taken a little after 9 o’clock on our last morning in Galveston. The fog got worse as we went west to get off the island.