Last night, we slept in our own bed at our own house. When my eyes first started to creep open this morning, I actually caught myself thinking: Hey, this hotel has a ceiling fan! Wait- this is no hotel...
So regular life resumes. We saw Cas' mom when she came to pick us up at the airport. We saw my dad when we grabbed two and a half weeks of mail from him. We went into our local grocery store to pick up food, and this morning, for the first time in ages, I am headed to my own kitchen to make breakfast. I absolutely love travel- seeing new places and learning new things- but coming home is pretty great, and making your own coffee is a real money saver.
What was the best part? Impossible to say. Best food? Can’t decide. If I could return to just one of the places, which would I choose? Not entirely sure. They were all perfect in their own way. Red Wing was the polar opposite of New York, and we loved them both. Chicago was great. Boston was great. Cas showed me Hanover, which was beautiful. Every part of this trip was correct, even when it dumped down rain on us. There was no particular best food, best attraction or best experience. It was just a really superior vacation. What would we do again? All of it. Of course.
A few thoughts at the end of this adventure-
- If you are in a place where there is good public transportation, either figure it out or travel with someone (like Cas) who is very clever about how these things work. We used the L in Chicago, got a multi-day pass for the subways in Boston and used the heck out of a seven day pass for the New York City subway and bus network. I mean we used the heck out of it. For $33 each, we had unlimited transportation for a week. The only time we paid extra to go someplace was when we did a special thing, like boat rides or guided tours. Good public transportation is a gift. Dallas tries, but it’s too sprawling. Appreciate that gift whenever you can.
- Wherever you go in the world, buy a few breakfast foods and take them to your hotel room. Seriously. A couple of bananas or cereal bars can take you past the point in the morning when you feel you must find breakfast immediately. You can actually get going and do a few things before it gets too late in the morning. Also, if your room has a refrigerator, go to the closest store and buy a 12 pack of bottled water- or bring along a filter bottle. Just don't spend your trip paying four bucks for a plastic bottle of Dasani every time you step out of your hotel.
- If you go on a long trip, look for a good laundromat or two in the middle of the time you’re gone. If you're unsure, look at a map of the place you'll be at the midpoint and search for one. You can wash your clothes and carry fewer things. It’s the perfect solution when traveling.
- Lastly, travel with someone whose wishes are like yours, whose must-sees are similar and who is fun to go places with. I have traveled with each of my parents and siblings, as a big group and individually, and of course, I have spent the past several years traveling with Cas, and I can say unequivocally, that it is awesome to go places with somebody who likes the same things as you do. I couldn’t really travel the same way with a big time shopper or someone who likes to lounge on a beach and read a trashy novel. If that's you, great. Enjoy moving about the world in the way that makes you happy! It’s just not who I am. Find a proper person to go on your style of trip. It’s pretty critical.
Anyhow, we're at the end of this and rapidly approaching the start of back-to-school time. We'll still have adventures and go do very cool stuff, but nothing on the scale of this trip until we get another block of time to go out and explore. Next spring may be somewhere west of here. Next summer may mark a return to Europe. We have much to discuss and plan, but first, laundry. Here is how we waited to move the first round of clothes from the washer to the dryer last night:
Thanks for following along. I certainly love sharing this stuff!
One last photo album link for you: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2sYnZaQSheDb6sfJ6
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