Tired from our active Detroit day, I woke up late in Plymouth to another of Amy’s gorgeous frittatas. I had mentioned to my friends that I wanted to see some of the daybreak shore in Michigan (Lake Huron) but had not made a plan and only remembered later that I had a guide in my social media. My friends had advised that it is less built up for tourists than the Lake Michigan side. My aunts and their husbands had cottages on that side, but all my searching for accommodation kept sending me to Mackinaw City anyway. Also, I was not in the mode of traveling without a companion yet, and I was dealing with some noise from home in Virginia, so I had a late start on Sunday.
Early in the afternoon, I said my goodbyes to Amy and her family and headed to Frankenmuth, a town designed to emulate a Bavarian city. When I was young, one of my aunts would often stop here on the way up to her cottage in the north and another one of my Amy galpals loves it. I must admit that the town seems designed more for older people who like to shop and eat than for me, and I had nearly forgotten that I would pass it along the way north. I stopped and the first thing I encountered was Bronner’s Christmas Market, which is a store dedicated to Christmas year round. Maybe “store” is not the right word. It’s an extravaganza and, to some extent, a place of no return. I actually got so disoriented inside among the many displays and shelves with no natural light that I could not find an exit. Given the Bavarian theme of the town, I had hoped to buy a Weihnachtspyramide there, but the selection was small and very pricey. I eventally bought a nativity set from Vietnam made of recycled material. Later, when I texted both Amys, they told me I was a bit nuts for stopping there because it is so over the top.
From there, I stopped at Zehnders, a massive restaurant that serves an array of German food. It was hot enough that I was not that eager for heavy German food, but it is what one does in Frankenmuth. I found a wrap that looked light and then the server provided eight side dishes as part of the order, which included bread, spaetzle, cottage cheese, and potatoes. I asked for a box immediately and ate from the left overs all the way into the Upper Peninsula. I put it in my cooler and walked along the town window shopping, then continued north.
My next stop was at Cross in the Woods in Indian River. In our trips up to my aunts’ cottages, my family would often make a stop at this Catholic outdoor shrine that boasts the largest crucifix in the world. That turned out to be even better than I imagined even though the very large gift shop was closed. I had a pleasant walk around the outdoor shrine and meditation garden which included a statue of Kateri Tekakwitha, the crucifix, and St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures. It was a quiet, meaningful stop.
On my way out, I wondered if the Italian restaurant that was a family favorite was still open, and then found it across the intersection. I knew better than to stop. I was still stuffed from my German lunch and the portions at the Italian restaurant were so huge that they used to get me in trouble with my aunts because I could not finish them.
My final stop was Mackinaw City, where I found a cute little motel, similar to where I had stayed along Cape Cod the previous year. The woman at the desk was so midwestern nice that I wanted to hug her and was disappointed in myself that I had to translate the word “pop.” Obviously, I need to come home more. On her recommendation, I wandered down to the town for the evening, enjoying the long sunset and stopping in the shops of tourist kitsch for a jacket for my upcoming ferry ride. Back at the hotel, I tried to relax and sent out my first email to my fall students because only about a week remained before the start of the term. I was feeling far behind.