Europe In Texas

We are constantly on the lookout for short multi-day trips that can be completed over a three-day weekend. We've ventured into Arkansas or Oklahoma to explore beyond our state, but given Texas's immense size, we often end up staying within its borders. My sister-in-law first suggested the idea of touring Texas towns with European names. It seemed intriguing, so I thought, why not? I searched online and discovered a map outlining a route of 10 towns. Although I would have loved to visit all of them in one journey, we had to divide it into segments to make it feasible.

Our initial group consisted of Dublin, Italy, Holland, and Florence. Although I was already acquainted with Dublin because of "Dublin Dr. Pepper," I discovered much more about its history. Dublin was the location of the first bottling plant in Texas. Dublin Dr. Peppers are no longer made due to a contract breach in 2012. The memorabilia remains, but Dublin Dr. Pepper does not.

From Dublin, we headed toward Holland and Florence. Knowing both towns were pretty small, I googled whether or not there was a sign in each of these towns for a picture opportunity. There was… sort of. Holland had a sign, complete with a Dutch shoe. However, getting to that sign was a bit odd as it is adjacent to a cemetery. We did it, but only one angle could be taken so as not to include headstones. In Florence, we were welcomed with a mural and a great backdrop for a picture.

The final stop on our initial journey was Italy, “the biggest little small town in Texas.”  I was a little confused as to why this one was on the map because it is a country, not a city, but I followed the map! Please know it is not an Italian food mecca, but you can get some great Tex-Mex there. I know, it doesn’t compute.

Our second grouping consisted of Paris and Athens. Neither one of these towns was a first-time visit, but the perspective on a bike was different. We had taken a ride into Oklahoma and then dropped down into Paris. Getting a pic in front of the Eiffel Tower was a must, but it is something you have to ride to get to as it is not in the middle of town. The week after we returned, I discovered via Texas Highways Magazine that there was a place to attach a love lock in Paris! I am currently obsessed with love locks, and there are only a handful of places in the US to participate. We now have 3 love locks on the bike, and there will be a return to Paris in our future.

If you are looking for a Greek town in Texas, Athens is not it. It does have several wineries, is the black-eyed pea capital of the world, and is home to the Athens Scuba Park, complete with over 20 sunken wrecks and 10 diving docks. My husband took our kids there for practice dives when they were in high school. Am I a certified diver? Yes! Outside of class, have I ever been diving? No! However, if I did, Athens Scuba Park is where I would want to go before experiencing an ocean dive. Again, we located a mural for a great picture opportunity.

Our last grouping proved to be a bit difficult, as all towns are four hours or more from our home and spaced out with hours of riding in between towns. So, any which way we mapped it, we couldn’t accomplish this grouping in one day. It took us three days, but with several fun stops in between.

My hubs participates in an annual Memorial Day weekend ride to Fredericksburg to attend a crawfish festival and ride for the remainder of the time. In previous years, I was unable to attend because, as a high school principal, graduation was usually that weekend as well. Now retired, I was able to go! However, the group that usually goes had a conflict, so my husband and I took advantage of the three days and opted to finish the Europe in Texas tour and still go to the crawfish festival in Fredericksburg.

Our first stop was London. There is no stoplight, just a gas station, the oldest dance hall in Texas, and a handful of houses. From there, we continued on to Fredericksburg but took advantage of the time and rode two of the three Twisted Sisters (FM 335 and FM 337) before eating lunch at the Bent Rim Grill. The Three Sisters is a regular ride for us, so much so that we have a favorite: FM 335. The day we rode was extremely hot, and there were few to no other riders. However, we hit some tar snakes, and no, he doesn’t ride too fast or crazy. The road was slick!

We stayed the night in Fredericksburg (named after a Prussian prince) and enjoyed food, music, and drinks at the festival. The next morning, we took a pic in front of the Fredericksburg Coca-Cola mural and headed toward Vienna. The road (FM 1623) from Fredericksburg to Vienna was fantastic, with rolling hills and curvy turns. The weather was in our favor with lots of cloud cover until noon. Vienna, like London, was pretty underwhelming. We could only find the green sign and one bar, the Lazy J, although it was closed. We took a cut through to another road to avoid San Antonio and Houston at all costs. Unfortunately, it was a dirt road. Fortunately, we were only on it a few miles.

From Vienna, we headed toward the next stop, Berlin. Along the way, we made a stop in Shiner, Texas. We ate at the Spoetzl Brewery, home of Shiner Beer. It was a great experience, with excellent food and the opportunity to taste test some specialty beers. They offered a tour, but we did not participate as our eyes were on the prize: Berlin. Well, that was more difficult than we thought! Berlin is three miles outside of Brenham, and our GPS told us we were there… but we found nothing except one sign that said North and South Berlin Road. I looked up the history, and we tried to find the cotton gin and/or gristmill… still nothing. After that epic fail, it was time for ice cream. Not just any ice cream… Blue Bell. One of the two creameries in the US is located in Brenham, Texas. We couldn’t tour the facility because it is closed on weekends (SMH), but ice cream was still found and enjoyed.

After staying in Livingston for the night, we concluded our tour with Moscow. Again, a small Texas town. We found a mural at Big Jake's Cafe, the restaurant where we had intended to eat, but headed out early to beat the bad weather coming in. In doing so, we did find some cool murals in Crockett, visited Lightsey Orchards Ranch outside of Mexia, and made our way home.

While the final grouping of London, Vienna, Berlin, and Moscow was my least favorite, the in-between stops and beautiful landscape made it worthwhile. Mission accomplished... we successfully completed the Europe in Texas tour!

The Blonde Backpack