Early the next morning we picked up our rental car and started driving to New Castle, Delaware. We had planned a split day with our morning and early afternoon in New Castle and then finishing the night in Annapolis.
When we arrived in New Castle we went straight to Wilmington Battery Park. It was actually really nice, but the wind was wild, so we did not stay long. Instead, we made our way to brunch at Jessop’s Tavern and Colonial Restaurant. First opened in 1764, it was such a neat spot, and the coffee did not disappoint. We debated heading to the Delaware Art Museum but changed plans when we realized we could tour the Read House instead. Since it was not typical tourist season, we had the entire house to ourselves and the guide was fantastic. She gave us both the regular tour and some behind the scenes glimpses. Fourteen thousand square feet of history. My only wish was that we could have seen it in warmer weather with the gardens in full bloom.
After the tour we drove to Annapolis to check into our Airbnb. But before that, I was determined to see the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. We parked where we thought the trail began and started walking. And walking. And walking. Only to discover we were not even on the right side of town to see it. Ugh.
Oh well. At least it got us moving, and along the way we saw some enormous homes and even a dinosaur on the trail.
The apartment was right on the water, which made it extra special. Getting in was a bit of a hassle, but once inside the view of the harbor and all the boats made up for it. Since we had a kitchen, we decided to cook dinner, so we stopped for groceries on the way. Dinner, a walk by the water, and a little TV was how we settled into the night.
Except the night did not quite end there. One of the groceries we had picked up was bagels and cream cheese, and Natalie decided to have one before bed. Unfortunately, that turned into the start of a very long night of food poisoning. Poor kid. She had such a rough time. I will spare you the details of the repeated cleanups, but it is safe to say that very little sleep was had by Natalie, Lillian, or me.