Galveston Before the Cruise—Historic Streets, Sea Turtles and 4,000 Passengers
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From Houston to Galveston—The Calm Before Boarding
On December 23rd, we left Houston and headed south toward Galveston Island. Our ship was waiting at the port, but we still had a few precious hours before boarding.
Enough time to do what we do best.
Wander.
No strict plan. No pressure. Just historic streets, coastal air and that quiet pre-adventure tension you feel before something big begins.
We started, quite heroically… in a pharmacy.
Yes, a pharmacy.
In America, pharmacies are where you can buy medicine, beachwear, souvenirs and possibly your next personality. We left with:
a Caribbean-style shirt
American flag shorts
magnets (because the fridge back in Northern Ireland must stay informed)
drinks
hair accessories
and motion sickness tablets
Preparedness over bravery.
A Vintage Trolley and the Texas Heroes Monument
Standing near the pharmacy, wondering where to go next, we suddenly heard a metallic bell ringing in the distance.
Not a bus.
Not quite a tram.
Something vintage.
From behind the Texas Heroes Monument, a historic-style trolley appeared—like it had rolled straight out of the early 20th century.
The Texas Heroes Monument in downtown Galveston, a landmark honoring Texas independence, surrounded by historic streets and vintage-style trolley lines.
That was our sign.
If it came from that direction, that must be downtown.
Classic Vagabonds logic.
Why Are Sea Turtles So Important in Galveston?
As we walked past City Hall and its charming green squares, we spotted something unusual—a colorful life-sized sea turtle sculpture.
Sea Turtle Statue in Galveston, Texas
It wasn’t random decoration.
Galveston plays a major role in sea turtle conservation in the Gulf of Mexico. The island is closely linked to efforts protecting the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the rarest sea turtle species in the world.
Organizations and marine research centers in Texas regularly rescue turtles during “cold stunning” events, when sudden drops in temperature paralyze them in coastal waters.
Sea turtles here are not just coastal symbols.
They represent survival, protection and the island’s deep connection to the Gulf.
That colorful sculpture suddenly made sense.
The 10 AM Breakfast Mission (Almost Impossible)
Finding a place open at 10:00 AM wasn’t easy.
Galveston wakes up slowly.
We passed:
Galveston City Hall
the federal government building
First Evangelical Lutheran Church
Several bars are clearly not ready for human interaction yet
One thing that caught our attention?
Signs informing customers that firearms were not allowed inside certain bars.
For Europeans, that’s… a cultural moment.
Eventually, we reached Leeland House.
And it felt like it had opened just for us.
Breakfast at Leeland House in Galveston Texas
We took a table in a niche that perfectly fit our luggage—as if the interior designer had planned for traveling vagabonds.
The breakfast exceeded expectations.
Instead of a classic British plate (sausages, beans, eggs), I chose something lighter:
Fresh salads.
Tender meat.
Rich sauces.
Warm bread.
Then wine.
Cake.
More wine.
More cake.
Juices.
Suddenly, this wasn’t just a logistical stop before boarding.
It was vacation mode activated.
Walking Toward Cruise Terminal 28
At 1:30 PM, we headed toward Carnival’s port terminal.
Some attractions were still closed. Galveston still carries subtle traces of pandemic-era shutdowns—we passed a hotel that had never reopened.
The city felt calm. Slightly sleepy. Maritime.
And then we reached the terminal.
Cruise Terminal 28 in Galveston, Texas, departure point for Carnival cruises to Mexico and the Caribbean.
The line looked like airport boarding.
With one important difference.
A plane carries 300–400 passengers.
Our ship?
Around 4,000.
A floating city.
But we made it.
We boarded.
We found our cabin.
We exhaled.
And that’s where the next chapter begins.