road trip

Sandwiched between our time in DC, Rafa & I spent five nights in Maryland. My bestie’s parents —Suzanne & Jim— invited us last year, but we changed plans & went to Boston after finding insanely cheap airfare. Now that DC was our main destination again, getting to Annapolis was super easy; a whole new state for us to explore. Hello, Maryland!

After traveling with Rafa around the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest on several occasions, part of the South & all around Boston, this year seemed perfect for us to experience the national capitol together. My first & only visit was 19 years ago in 2004, & I mostly stuck to monuments & walking the city. I knew Rafa would put together a busy schedule, heavy with fantastic, free museums… as you’ll see, we really took advantage of our time in DC.

Our fourth trip to Iowa together may have been quick, but we managed to do a lot in short time. And our sixth wedding anniversary even had a few surprises for Rafa… what’s up for this visit??

At the beginning of our trip to Boston, we had a difficult time keeping city limits straight. Fantastic public transportation that seamlessly covers the entire area had us asking ourselves: is this a Boston neighborhood or is it a separate city? I think we have it figured out now 😉

Let’s continue the visit by city…

Is it still a road trip if you don’t use a car? In this case, I’ll say yes because Boston’s fantastic public transportation made car rental 100% unnecessary. And honestly, I don’t know how we could have seen more. This two-week trip was our first visit to New England, & what an introduction! We had a major mishap at the last minute, but the travel gods worked their magic & off we went. I’ve grouped our sightseeing below into neighborhoods for easy reference. We’ll get on the road after a bumpy start…

We’re racking up the miles slowly; my fifth trip to the US with Rafa & his third time in Iowa. Our first international travel since COVID, we had to use flight vouchers that would expire soon to see my 84-year old aunt. Mission accomplished. But we drove a bit north for some sightseeing instead of going straight across Illinois. As always, Rafa & I discovered some fascinating sights along the way…

Ambitious plan? Actually easier than it looks. With drive times between stops relatively short, we could fit in a lot in 17 days. I hadn’t been back to the South in 20 years, so I was excited to reconnect with old friends. Plus, Rafa could finally see an important part of my past. We picked up where we left off from our previous road trip, had an incredible time & managed to get home just before the world went into lockdown…

My uncle passed away three months prior to this trip, so the first few days consisted of wrapping up family matters in Iowa. But we’d be close to the state border after scattering my uncle’s ashes, so why not dip down & see what Missouri has to offer? As a kid I’d always just driven through, however we discovered a ton to see, do & eat. The state lived up to its motto & showed us how great Missouri is!

Our second trip to the US together packed with as much Americana as possible! The main objective was to visit my aunt & uncle, but also to see how much of my mom’s stuff I’d have to ship to Spain. This involved a trip to the heart of Iowa; however, we also took a week to explore Chicago since we were already there. Let’s get on the road…