A day spent in Burlington - but where's the coat factory?

We arrived at the port of Burlington, Iowa at 8AM this morning. We headed back to The River Cafe for some hearty pancakes and hash browns.

 A cool breeze today did not help my efforts to grab a picture of the Iowa state flag:

Today's morning excursion choices were the 2 & 1/2 hour Moderate Level extra cost excursion to Old Fort Madison, the 3 & 1/2 hour Moderate Level extra cost Hinterland Farm Visit, and the included Historic Burlington tour sessions. This was the most popular generic city tour with four bus groups leaving in the morning and three bus groups during the afternoon session. Other options for afternoon tours was the 3 & 1/2 hour Moderate Level extra cost Art Around Burlington excursion that included a pottery or painting demonstration plus hands on participation in a small art project, and the 4 hours Moderate Level extra cost Historic Nauvoo excursion that focuses on visiting a nearby town that has deep history in the Mormon Church. 

We chose to do the 2 hour & 15 minute Easy Level included excursion called Historic Burlington. The screens around the meeting lounges displaying a list of tour times, tour names, coach numbers, and status of whether the tour left you behind were a great help. You could view at least one of the screens no matter where in the lounge you were waiting and it didn't matter how loud the room was or how hard it was to hear Tim's announcements over the intercom. 

We were assigned to Coach #6 having signed up pre-cruise to the 10AM time slot. The coach drivers and local guides worked well with Viking so that not only did the buses leave at staggered times but they had it all worked out to visit the same places at different times so no venue was too crowded. 

Our first stop of the morning was to the Heritage Center Museum. This museum repurposed an old library built in 1898 and features exhibits on regional culture and history. Even the gift shop had the items on display using the old book storage racks. The building itself, known as the Burlington Public Library, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Our guide had worked with the Des Moines County Historical Society so she shared a lot of stories and history that gave us more insight versus viewing the exhibits on our own. The museum has an admission fee of $10 for adults up to age 60 and then drops to $8 for those aged 61+. Viking covered our admission fees for the tour.

After a brief history of the building and suggestions on what to make sure we got to see, we were left to wander on our own with a time to meet back at the bus. 

Oldest water fountain from 1898

For everyone who has ever been yelled at for leaving a light on:

A display featuring what one of the original post offices looked like included an interesting daily task list for the employees:

Early version of a time clock where employees would literally punch in and out

Time to head upstairs - there is an elevator to reach all the levels of this museum.

In case you've never seen stairs before, our busty friend pointed out a helpful sign:

The basement level is dedicated to songwriter Bart Howard, a Burlington native who penned the classic song, "Fly Me To The Moon." The main area is set up like a small New York City lounge and offers seating for 55 guests to listen to musical performances. 

The top floor had many local exhibits and a play area for kids.

Took me a minute to realize this mock farm set up with giant dollhouse and animals in their pens was not a display but was meant as a playspace for the children who were visiting the museum.

The former educator in me really wanted to fix the grammar in this sign:

Trying to be artsy with the view of this open rotunda looking back down at the main level

As we passed through this display on Burlington's part of the Underground Railroad, our guide wandered by and pointed out a feature we had totally missed. The last third of this decorative trim on the right side (the opening is in line with the right side of the "Henry's Freedom Box" book in the picture below) actually opens as a little door revealing a crawl space so children can experience how dark and quiet those seeking their freedom had to be so as not to get caught. She told us about coming to this museum on school field trips and how they'd have the whole class crawl inside for the experience. 

Our next tour stop was to Mosquito Park. Its views of the Mississippi River are best viewed from high on the bluff situated between two houses in a neighborhood. 

We had a brief wait on the bus while another Viking bus who had just dropped their riders off at the Heritage Center brought back one of our bus rider's left behind cell phone. Several of us passed the time watching a neighborhood dog take himself for a walk around the block.

Our final stop of the tour was to the Garrett-Phelps House Museum. The guide tied in a reference to the time period with crowd control by asking that those seated on the left side of the bus enter the house by one entrance like invited guests and the other side entered the house through the kitchen via the servants' entrance. The house itself was pretty packed so we just picked the easiest door to get into and started walking around. There were guides in various rooms offering narration based on which class level you were assigned. 

The front door had steps up to the porch but the kitchen entrance had a ramp.

The house sits next to Snake Alley, a very curvy brick laden street that was built in 1894. In 2017, Ripley's Believe It Or Not designated the alley of limestone and blue clay bricks as the #1 Odd Spot in Ripley's Guide to the Curious Corners of America. Snake Alley curves over a distance of 275 feet, rising 58.3 feet at a 21% grade connecting Washington Street to Columbia Street. Each year on Memorial Day Weekend, an uphill bike race called the Snake Alley Criterium is held here.

We were given the option of walking down to the bottom or staying up top and enjoying the bus ride that looped around the block to meet up with where the alley lets out. Several people chose to walk down but we opted to just enjoy the views from the top.

After the tour we were let off by the Port of Burlington Welcome Center (and gift shop):

How many of these other Burlington cities did you know existed?

It was a short walk on paved concrete back to the ship with some beautiful bridge views along the way.

Back on board for lunch we tried the BBQ pulled pork sandwich topped with coleslaw and potato salad on the side. The BBQ sauce had a really weird taste and made the coleslaw taste sour. 

After participating in our third installment of The Big Quiz with Cruise Director Tim, we decided to give The Restaurant a try for dinner. On the way in, a senior crew member passing by on his way out, greeted us with the direction to seat ourselves where we wanted. Most of the two top tables were full so we took a medium sized table by the window. It took a while to get noticed by a waiter and our waiter seemed more concerned about whether we were expecting others to fill the table than actually taking our order. We assured him that while we weren't expecting anyone else in our party, we'd be happy to welcome anyone coming in to join us. He walked away and over the next 15 minutes, both he and other crew came by to ask again about expecting more people. Each time a couple of the extra place setting items would leave with the latest questioner. Eventually, our waiter decided enough time had passed that he could actually take our order now. Each course came out fairly quickly but there was no interaction beyond that like asking how the food was or offering to refill our drinks. 

Beef Carpaccio Tenderloin starter

Caesar Salad from the Always Available choices

Creole Corn & Seafood Chowder

Angus New York Strip Steak from the Always Available choices

Dad got the same thing except for asking his to be cooked longer. Somehow though my garlic butter was the one that looked like a disintegrated pancake when served. That is ketchup in the small bowl. There was no other sauce or seasoning to my steak. I gave up after eating a quarter of the steak. While I ate more of it than I would have liked to on Viking Octantis, it was a much better presentation and quality on that ship.

When he listed the dessert options, I asked about an option listed in the app that he didn't mention. He chalked it up to being a "typo" and insisted his list was the only option. He seemed put off when I settled for only ice cream.

Throughout the meal, we noticed another crew member in a manager's uniform making the rounds greeting passengers and checking in to see how they were enjoying their meals. She'd visit the tables all around us, look over, intentionally walk past our table, and return to talk to the passengers at the same table where she started. We did get a brief acknowledgement when she looked over and noticed our assistant waiter could use some help clearing away our previous courses. The extent of the interaction was her telling him that she'd help and asking if we were done with the nearly full plate of steak before walking away with it. I expected her to at least question why I hadn't eaten the entree. I would have loved to speak up on the spot about the lack of service we were receiving but I don't talk to someone's back while they're walking away. We decided by the end of this meal to not return to The Restaurant for any future meals.

Fulfilling another bucket list dream by stepping into the world of Samuel Clemens

 "Nothing so liberalizes a man and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in him as travel."

A place Dad has always wanted to visit is Hannibal, Missouri to see the birthplace and history of Samuel Clemens, more notably known as the author Mark Twain. While he was a bit disappointed that there wasn't a re-enactor portraying Twain, he felt it was still worth a visit.

We weren't scheduled to arrive in Hannibal until 11:30AM but ended up docking by 9AM. We opted to take our River Cafe breakfast out onto the Aquavit Terrace for dining al fresco. I like to try a few select dishes on any cruise line I try - a sort of who wore it best if you will. Eggs Benedict is one of those dishes. Viking Mississippi served it as a single in a takeaway scalloped dish which confused some people who were trying to lift it out of that dish onto their plates. I think I prefer the scooping out however much you want from a large dish as this definitely needed space on a plate to cut into. Drink service was also nearly non existent on the terrace. After being walked past multiple times I walked over to the cart only to have the server walk away when I approached. On my way back inside to get the juice from the machines, I finally found a server who was willing to help. 

After breakfast, we headed to the Explorer's Lounge for a morning session of daily trivia with CD Tim. Out the front windows we spotted our first Mark Twain references.

This is also a cool spot to sit and watch a thunderstorm in the area. 

Our cruise had two main excursions for which people signed up, The World of Mark Twain and Jim's Journey: The Huck Finn Freedom Center. Jim's Journey is listed as moderate and costs extra to book.

There were two options for the included The World of Mark Twain tour. You could take a walking tour with professional narration. Or you could simply step off the ship and board a free shuttle bus that runs approximately every 20 minutes. The boyhood home of Mark Twain and museum is a 10 to 15 minute walk on your own from the pier along paved streets and sidewalks. We chose to take the shuttle bus as one was waiting when we stepped off the ship. On the bus was a local guide who offered the choice of getting off once they reached the museum or staying onboard for a loop while she gave a history of the area. We chose to get off and were directed up the road to meet another guide outside the museum complex. 

She handed us these small cards to serve not only as the admission to the various buildings but also as a quest to get them all checked off while visiting. 

Our first stop was a walkthrough of the Interpretive Center. There was a brief movie playing and several informative plaques to read. There were several chairs and/or benches to sit and rest. This was the most crowded building of the group as it had the most to see.

Once you wind your way through the center, you exit out of the back door and follow the series of signs between the buildings. Some did require walking on a brick or gravel path while others required walking up stairs.

The Huckleberry Finn house is basically just a walkthrough replica. Watch your heads though as the ceiling and doors are low.

On to the next building, Mark Twain's Boyhood Home by walking along a brick laid path:

At this point, continuing the tour on to the museum buildings across the street, you need to climb some wooden stairs. Otherwise, you'd have to backtrack through the first buildings and walk along the street instead.

Our next stop was Becky Thatcher's House:

How would you like to live out your final days in a place called Hannibal's Home for the Friendless?

You could choose a character card and follow the journey of your chosen character. Someone took the "You can keep your card" message a little too literally it seems since there was also a card holder missing from the display.

Rules to follow while in school and punishments for those who broke them

We got a little turned around after exiting the Boyhood Home Gift Shop because you need to leave out the back door to access the remaining buildings. Exiting out the front door puts you back at the street but you can't get past locked gates to enter the last couple buildings. 

Just don't mix up the two destinations accessed by this back door:

Our last stop was at the Grant's Drug Store. I got a kick out of how they branded the Aquafina water bottle vending machine inside the drug store.

Who wants to play this at the next game night?

After we finished looking through all the buildings and getting our card checked off, we decided to wander along the streets and see if there were any shops that were interesting. We ended up walking all the way back to the ship before we realized it.

Being from Baltimore, I couldn't resist taking a picture of this shirt in a shop window advertising ghost tours:

Back on the ship, we'd worked up an appetite and headed for the River Cafe. Today's lunch was a burger from the grill. The pasta salad offered by the grill was tasty.

To counteract all that walking, I topped off lunch with a scoop of cookies n' cream with a sugar cookie chaser. 

Dinner tonight was a return to the River Cafe where I discovered the section devoted to sushi. I tried many rolls over many meals this cruise as this was a place I was sure to find something I liked.