Travel Thursday!

For this Travel Thursday we're staying a lot closer to home- Austin, Texas! 

Although I had never been to Texas prior to this trip (May 2010) I have a deep love for the Lone Star State.  It's where my beloved Grandaddy grew up and it's where my Grandparents met, fell in love, and got married (all within a few weeks!).  I also love the way Texas sees itself - the larger than life personality it exudes. 
This trip was extra special because it was a mini-reunion with my life-long best friends.  We've been BFFs since elementary school and all got together to visit Julia, who recently moved to Austin. 

Austin has an awesome sense of humor and there is evidence of it everywhere.  From the many cool murals all around the city to the silly names of the shops and restaurants - Austin has a lot of fun to offer its residents and visitors!

It's always important to me to sneak some history into my trips- so while the rest of the girls went to the mall, I took my dorky self to one of the greatest American landmarks - The Alamo! (which is actually a little ways away in San Antonio)

No matter where I travel to I always like to eat some of the local food and I always always always try a local beer!  Texas has some awesome BBQ (who saw that one coming?) and I had to try some alligator from a stand I saw a street fair- just so I could say I did it!

Lonestar beer calls itself the "Official Beer of Texas"- you can see why I just had to try it out

I love travelling out of the counrty and getting to know cultures that are completely different from my own, but seeing the amazing country that I live in is also a major travel priority for me.  Austin was a great piece of Americana!