Part 1: camp to Bethlehem, PA: My good old friend Tim got married to a really cool girl this weekend, and I was honored to be there. The drive wasn't too long or too bad, although despite my several years behind the wheel of a stick shift vehicle, I still struggle not to cry or barf or die when I come upon a large, steep hill that I have never come to before. Well, apparently Bethlehem is hilly. It wasn't too bad for the most part except for one hill at a stop light. I did make it without stalling though.
The wedding took place in a beautiful historic church in a very beautiful historic part of town. I found Bethlehem to be a really nice mix of post-industrial city and gorgeous old town. Really old brick and stone buildings that have been kept up very well with old steel mills in the distance. And hills. Plenty of those. And a fun wedding!
Tree of the day: the tulip poplar that I stood under as I took this in front of the church
Part 2: Bethlehem to my big brother's place: This drive was boring, but let's talk about where my brother lives. I was initially frustrated by a very long road without any house numbers (my first time to his new place), but I found it and enjoyed a pleasant evening out with some friends and then back home on the back deck enjoying the fresh smells of lots of plants. What I would find the next morning was an incredible yard with many lovely trees and flowers.
Tree of the day here: Honeysuckle tree. I've only ever seen honeysuckle as a bush but my nose was extremely happy to find this tree. Also, driving out of his town, I found it to be full of historic farms and beautiful stone walls and old houses. Quite nice.
Part 3: Philadelphia area to Haddonfield, NJ: I took many small roads from my brother's place to get back to I-76 and New Jersey, ending up on a tiny side street that reminded me of Pittsburgh given the extreme incline. I was thankful it was early in the morning and there weren't many people around to A) stop me on one of those intense hills or B) witness the terrified look on my face as I made it over each one (successfully, thank you). It wasn't a bad drive, and I was amused by the narrow and steep roads leading me into Philly to pick up the interstate. The rest of the drive was boring major roads, till I got to Haddonfield, where this weekend's church visit was.
Haddonfield surprised me. I expected some kind of suburbia (outside of Cherry Hill, Camden, Philly) but not what I found. The church I visited, First Presbyterian, was very beautiful and very old. And huge! Stairs and doors everywhere. I was so lost. The sanctuary itself was more of an ampitheater, and an older woman sitting behind me told me the windows were Tiffany's. Yikes. It was quite lovely. I had a nice visit.
Part 4: Haddonfield back to camp: Leaving town, I was in the mood for a bagel, but let me tell you there are no bagel shops on the right side of the road between Haddonfield and camp. I drove down the main avenue and enjoyed all of the little shops all close together, a nice walkable area with obviously huge and old houses on the fringe. I took I-295 to Route 31, which was more boring than I remember. And I was exhausted at this point, so it felt like it took seven years to drive back to camp, even though there were no traffic issues. The one bagel shop I found on the right was closed. Lame.
But, another weekend with a lot of driving and a lot of sightseeing. Not sightseeing like my Grandma calls it (aka being lost), but just seeing new and different places, which I obviously always enjoy.
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