On the last few days of my funemployment, I paid a visit to my friend and her husband in Texas. I was excited to be in Texas for the first time, and eager to try the famous Texas barbecue. Of course Lockhart Smokehouse had to be my first meal in Dallas and not only do they have great ribs and brisket, they also have great potato salad!

Next morning I went on an adventure at the Fort Worth Stockyards, starting with a visit to the Texas longhorns viewing deck. I have never seen a Texas longhorn before, and seeing them up close was really fascinating. One particular one decided to show me how he manages to scratch his back with his longhorn…

On the main street the cattle drive started right at 11:30AM, and the Old West comes to life right before your eyes.

Inside the exchange building (yes there is still trading going on today!) is the museum, and the stockyard station now houses a number of shops. The stockyards is a great area to spend your morning and grab a meal!

If there is one thing I learned on this trip, it would be that Texas is… well, big. It took us 3 hours to drive from Fort Worth to Austin, given the traffic during rush hour. Nonetheless we made it to Austin in time for dinner, and we had a light meal at Odd Duck. It looks like the restaurant has outdoor seating surrounded by a lot of greenery which is probably popular at brunch hour. After dinner we headed to 6th street for some live music and to a speakeasy called Midnight Cowboy. There we discovered this amazing Whiskey cocktail named Don Lockwood. It was so good that my friends decided to buy the ingredients to make their own at home.

WE HAVE PROVED, SITTING EATING, SITTING TALKING, THAT WE CAN ADD TO THE TREASURY OF MOMENTS.

*- Virginia Woolf, The Waves*

The next morning we took a stroll in the South Congress district and enjoyed stopped at Jo’s coffee. The Belgian Bomber - part Iced Turbo (coffee, espresso, hazelnut, chocolate, cream) and part cold brew - was a bomber! We sat outside in the open seating in the back, enjoying our coffee. It’s nice to be able to enjoy your coffee when it wasn’t consumed for the caffeine.

South Congress was home to a lot of cute stores and boutiques, as well as the ultimate cowboy boots store - Allen Boots. I wasn’t a huge cowboy boots fan, but it was fascinating to see an entire store filled with rows and rows of cowboy boots of all shades.

Of course an exploration of an area isn’t complete without a stop for food so we stopped by Torchy’s Tacos for lunch. All of the tacos we had were on point and I was very satisfied with my meal.

Before we took off for San Antonio we stopped at the graffi park, but it was too hot for me to bother taking some better photos…

Our first stop in San Antonio was Pearl Brewery, perfect spot for people watching on a nice day. Grab a beer from the food hall, and pick a table near the big lawn. If you have time, take a walk along the river walk and you can get all the way downtown! It’s a great way to see the city, and great exercise if you plan on indulging on more Texas barbecue.

On my final day in Texas we headed out for Fredricksburg, a cute German town and Enchanted Rock for a short hike. We were lucky and were greeted by our donkey friend on our way out from the hiking ground!

After the hike, if you’re looking for a quick meal or drinks, there are wineries in Texas where you can stop by for a tasting (yes, there are wineries in Texas!)

Texas. August 2018