Austin, TX

“Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.” This quote has been my mantra lately, as 2016 started off to be a bit more unpredictable than anticipated. Traveling to new places has always been my way to seek clarity and it was perfect timing when my man discovered he would be traveling to Austin for work related activities. Neither of us had been to Austin before and I jumped at the chance to join him on this week long journey. I had heard such amazing stories about this vibrant city, from the iconic Austin City Limits Music Festival to the artistic nature of the Austin locals, and was over-joyed to have the opportunity to see this place with my own eyes! Good friends of ours share a similar spirit for adventure, so we gathered tips for must-see and must-eats and the adventure began….

Our first stop was South Congress Cafe, known for their retro-modern daily brunch. It is located in the coolest artistic Avenue surrounded by record stores and funky shops of all kinds. At every turn there was another mural even brighter and more beautiful than the next. The streets looked like a color explosion and you could feel the inspiration all around you. We immediately discovered Austin locals love to express themselves, from their clothing to their tattooed covered arms. Our server made our first stop extremely special. He was born and raised in Austin and told us the city is full of public access nature areas and suggested a few spots for us to see doing our stay.After enjoying one of the most delicious meals of our lives, we noticed the temperatures rising and b-lined to Zilker Park to take a dip in the crystal blue waters. The Colorado River flows right through the city and Barton Springs breaks off from the river. There was a pretty long line at the entrance, but after asking around discovered the line was to purchase tickets to the recreational outdoor swimming pool, that is filled entirely with water from nearby natural springs! We didn’t feel like waiting (or paying!) to enter the pool and followed a path to the natural spring, a much quieter area compared to the pool zone. It was a beautiful sight – I was not expecting to see such crystal clear water and jumped in without hesitation. We spent the sunny afternoon floating down the spring passing turtles, swans and the happinest dogs along the way…




After a much needed sun-kissed afternoon, we ventured uptown toward our hotel and walked across 6th street, the iconic street for musical dreamers of all kinds. Every bar we passed was jamming with live music and their passion was contagious! We are both music players and lovers and it was beautiful to see so many like minded people living their dream. The day was coming to an end, so we grabbed ourselves some out-of-this-world BBQ and called it a day, one of the most fulfilling happiest days in the land of music, nature and art.