Time-wise these posts are a bit backwards, since we went to the States before Japan, but I was more interested in posting about Japan, haha. However, I did promise to share some of our US adventures so figured I better get to it.
Planning, packing and setting off for four weeks of globe trotting takes a bit of work, but by the time we got to our departure date, we felt like we had things pretty well sorted. However, the delays that can occur with air travel are simply something you cannot plan for. Our itinerary had us on a direct flight from Auckland to Chicago, where we planned to spend a night with friends to get some pizza and explore downtown a bit (a LOOOOOONG 15 hour flight, but worth it to get so far into the US we decided). However, we had to get to Auckland first. What do you know, it was windy so our flight from New Plymouth got delayed. Normally this is little cause for concern, but we knew it was one of the busiest days of the year to fly so as the departure time kept getting pushed out we starting to feel a bit of anxiety. Airline staff assured us we had
plenty of time to make our connection, but we were not 100% confident in their assurances. However, they were right, after running from one terminal to the next and all the way through the international departure area to find our gate (and me getting stopped for a random extra security screening) we made it to the gate just as they were boarding.
Highlights of Chicago included having proper deep dish pizza (so dangerously delicious), finding the bean and a giant Christmas tree, and sampling cheddar bacon popcorn!
Once we got to Little Rock, the schedule was pretty laid-back, a very welcome change to the busyness we had juggled until the trip. Other than family time and a winter Christmas with two adorable nieces, highlights included a fantastic light display at a big garden, exploring Hot Springs, tea parties with adorable little nieces, and loads of delicious food (including hot homemade cinnamon rolls sent with us on our flight to DC, which got Troway flagged at airport security for a search; the TSA fellow said lucky us getting those for an in-flight treat!).
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| The BBQ chef :D |
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| Riverfront capital view from a scenic state park overlook |
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| Christmas at the Arkansas capital |
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| Bathhouse row in Hot Springs |
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| Al Capone's piano (seen at the Hot Springs Gangster Museum) |
Our final 3 days in the US was spent in Washington, D.C. We stayed at a delightful bed and breakfast in a colorful, old-school neighborhood. We were pretty touristey during the day, ticking the well-known boxes of the Smithsonian, the major monuments, etc. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves though, and found it quite awe-inspiring to visit powerful places such as the Lincoln monument, and the WWII memorial. There is something quite humbling about in the presence of a reminder of the great sacrifices others have made.
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| Smithsonian sea creatures |
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| Near our bed and breakfast |
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| Hearty American food :D (we followed it up with funnel cake) |
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