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The day before packing to leave for Denver, USA I was checking on the weather. A solid 20°C was calling for a light jacket and some light T-shirts. Maybe I should pack another sweather just to be safe? A windbreaker would be great if I would find some time to visit the mountains?
Good thing I checked out Brittany Lessers snapchat that day! She lives near Denver and snapped pictures of the snowy landsacape.
Well this is obviously the bad thing about traveling having to trust in weather predictions so I also packed my heavy iceblue winter coat for good measure! Right before takeoff my collegue just told me : 'There is no reason for complaining about the weather in Colorado for it changes within the next minute!'
What can I say - she was defenitly right! Good thing that only counted for the temperature during our stay. The sun luckyly stayed out constantly - unlike the following days that were predicted to bring a lot of heavy snowstorms. Hopefully this has nothing to do with the icecubes I threw into the toilet by the end of the visit?!(An US-American saying calls for ice cubes in the toilet if you wish for a snow day afterwards - I actually just wanted to remove the remaining cubes off my cold drink before tossing the cup) But let's take it to the beginning!
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The day was almost over when I reached the city of Denver - a long day just called for a hot soup and a good night of sleep. I was andering around to find any spot to have soup at which appears to not be too easy at 8pm downtown Denver on a saturday night. Some of the food spots close very early on weekends which -in my opinion- is defenitly okay and understandable, yet not too great if you have no other option than eating out.
Wandering around Downtown at night was quite an experience as well. Not only the big tower in the center of the town was glowing green (for St pattys day) but there was also a slight hint of a 'green smell' in the air. As Cannabis is to be consumed legally in the state of Colorado the smell on the streets sort of reminds me of the streets of Amsterdam.
I did find a fast food bakery -other than panera- called 'Corner Bakery' where I was able to enjoy a great soup before getting a great cap of sleep for the upcoming long day!
To start my morning right whenever I am in the states there is no place like Panera bread for breakfast! I really love the bagles and always bring some home with me. Although I also developed a habit in always having the Power Quinoa Oatmeal the day I am having breakfast there - I recomment to substitude the honey for peanutbutter and you will be in heaven! This time I also tried the strawberry pecan oatmeal - subbing pecans with PB again and the Chai Latte made with almond milk. Both of course have been amazing again - even though I only got to drink half of the Chai because I was so full! I kept the remaining part in my fridge overnight and added a cup of ice cubes (see where the came from) to it to make it a frappe and I really have to say I almost liked that version more. So if you -like me - are not able to make it though the entire cup of Chai just leave it for the next day and it will be amazing enjoyed as a refresher!
By the time I hit Panera (around 8am) It was already as beautiful as cold outside. I was very very glad I packed my thick winter coat trying to keep away the freezing cold air as much as possible. I even had to ask a Panera worker if it was possible to wait inside until they open - it was THAT cold! I tried taking a picture of the great mountain view in the morning but obviously all I caught in all its clearness was the Panera logo. Denver itself makes a beautiful city to visit because from almost every corner of the streets you get a great mountain view! The city itself looks a little older and very beautiful. A free bus system takes you up and down the main street where all restaurants are located. It took me a while to find the really great spots but all in all I have to admit that I've eaten lots of great food - I will share the spots with you later on. On the mall street there are located several pharmacies, TJ Maxx and Ross as well a tiny mall featuring Victorias Secret, Bath&Body works, Forever 21 and many more. Overall you can get a great variety of things to buy by not even leaving the town.
But if you are that close to the Rockys why would you not leave the town to reach for them a little more? Right you wouldn't!
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Even the Bus drive was worth the trip already. Apparently there is a fast and a slow bus depending on how many stations they were stopping - it took us around 40 minutes that , again, passed so fast while I was just looking at the mountains, enjoying the weather.
Boulder itself is a smaller old town featuring plenty of old little butiques and many trendy spots to grab a snack. We hit a spot called 'The old Chicago' to grab a lunch. The food was very good and well done, the servants were friendly while most of the time connected on their mobile phones.
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Avocado Chicken Salad, no cheese,
dressing on the side
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After lunch we split in smaller parties depending on what everyone was up to to. One of my colleague - the same age as I - and I decited to enjoy the weather a little and wlaked around some beautiful park, some random neigbourhoods and the streets until we 'accedently' found the Bouder Teahouse. By this time we must've hit the 15-20°C already! Time to take off the coat and have a sip on the best frozen Chai latte I've ever tasted in my life! Yes, I obviously have an obsession but at least it's no alcoholic beverage ;) So if you ever get to visit this beautiful Teahouse in Boulder you have to have a try!
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Teahouse Boulder
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We almost spent all day wandering around the streets of Boulder, shopping for some sweet TOMS - even though I could not find any my size. We collected some sunshine and listened to many street artists while we talked about everything and nothing at all. It was a great afternoon after all! On our way back we got off the bus at some shopping area to visit TJMaxx, Target and Wholefoods.
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By the time we were back at Denver we - of course - were hangry as little lions again! We hit a place called 'Chili's' to have a meal called 'bottomless Soup and Salad' that also featured a huge bowl of Tacos and dip. All the way satisfied we were ready to call it a day for the last time in Denver.
The last hours in the city were well spent on shopping a light spring dress and ofcourse again some food - I would really want to point out two more places to eat when being in Denver. One is called the 'Protein Bar' featuring lots of delicious, healthy meals - located on the upper end of the mall street (16th). The other one is more of a place to satisfy cravings : Santa Fe cookies & Co. This small and almost nondescript place gives you the feeling of standing right in the middle of grandmas baking place , only that not granny but a young girl is too busy baking for even taking your money. Self service for all kind of cookies and other baking goods for really small money - downstairs in front of starbucks just across the mall.
So here you have a small conclusion of a day I would always love to repeat again! I hope I was able to give you some hints and inspirations. Let me know what you think about this travel journey and if you'd like to see more of that! Have you ever traveled to Denver or live there? What are your secret tips?
