For the first time in my 28 years, I have finally leapt across the pond of the Atlantic Ocean to visit our neighbouring country of the USA! 😂😂 This was a long trip coming but was delayed due to restrictions caused by the pandemic, and I used my half term break to grab this opportunity! 😉
For my first ever trip into the State, I decided on Austin (since I have a friend there who can help me with the navigation if needed 🧭😝!) Resting in the heart of Texas, Austin is a city with a very diverse culture and artistry. 🌃 A perfect place for someone like me!
Austin at night 🌃 Downtown Austin Capitol of TexasUT TowerRainbow Cowboy 🤠🌈 Rainbow crosswalk 🌈 🌈 Frost Bank Tower from the distanceMy friend calls it the “chubby” pigeon 🤭 Beautiful pavement ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜Love these!A beautiful building that turns out to be just a car park! 😂 Love the look of this neighbourhood!Quite empty traffic (surprisingly!) 🚗 🚙 More colours of Austin! 🎨 🎨 Vietnamese dinner at Pho Thaison on the first night (my friend’s recommendation haha!) That lime soda was huge lol!!
Despite being firmly in winter, my first few days in Austin were blessed by glorious sunshine and heat! ☀️☀️ After finishing the hotel breakfast, my friend (being a political student) took me to a political rally featuring the amazing AOC that was reported in local news.
Never ate hotel’s breakfast on a sofa with paper plates before! 😂 The sausage was dry but the patties aren’t actually that bad (went back for seconds haha!)AOC at the political rallyLunch at Chili ParlourTop: Queso (Mexican Cheese Dip) with Chips; Bottom: Pork Tamales and their signature chili
We then headed over to lunch at the Chili Parlour (cause I was dying to try some local Texan/American food! 😂) Really enjoyed the homemade nachos chips which were nice for a change. The cheese dip and salsa were nice too but the heat was getting to me haha! 🥵 Loved their chili especially the fact they are chucks of meat rather than mince which I was used to. 😋 The tamales were slightly on the dry side, but I did enjoy the flavourful rice and beans they came with. Following this, we paid a visit to the Capitol of Texas and UT campus at the heart of the city.
Inside the Capitol of TexasThe incredible ceiling of the Capitol The rotunda floorCourtroom inside the CapitolUT campus (blending in quite well with all the college students!)UT Tower and the two “balls”UT Tower up closeThe famous cat of the campus- Domino 🐈⬛ Eating zongzi again after so many years remind me of my late grandmother 👵😢 (Also ended up missing pretty much the whole of Super Bowl during this haha!)
After a rather early night back in the hotel (fell asleep 😴 💤 with the Winter Olympics playing at the background 📺 lol), I then visited the Austin city hall on the next day as well as the LBJ Library.
Austin City HallInside the city hallLBJ library 😂😂 As a child, I loved Sesame Street! 😃 LBJMore inside the exhibition – love the old TV ads 📺 A replica of the White HouseOne of Ladybird’s dressesOlmec Statue outside the library (reminded of something I saw in a childhood anime movie! 😂)So sunny in Austin today! ☀️☀️ (Quite hot too 🔥🔥! Is it really February!?)Brunch at a sidewalk 👍 Really enjoyed this sandwich made with Jalapeño & Cheese bread.
When the night falls again, I met up with my friend for a Italian dinner in Quattro Gatti Ristorante e Pizzeria! 🤤🤤 (Also Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone lol! ❤️) FYI everything tasted amazing! 😂
What a treat! 🍋🍋 A classic Italian dinner: Meatballs and rosemary focaccia; lobster ravioli with vodka sauce; truffle sausage rigatoni; and finally chocolate and Strawberry with a cookie that tasted the cannoli shells! Yum! 🤤🤤
Tango's Baking 