Galena, IL

The unexpected beauty.

I didn't know that Illinois could be hilly too! If you like road trips this location is a gem! It is a 3 hour drive and the landscape changed from flat to mounds to hills! It might trick you that you are in another country 8 hours away. They have a very charming downtown and each shop is an experience. This town knows what boutique means and they applied it in all the businesses at Main St. from garlic store to lingerie and anything in between that you might fancy.

We booked a bed and breakfast at Miss Murphy's and it was pretty seamless. They offered us early check in so we are able to deposit our bags and rested a bit before heading out and exploring the downtown area. On our first night for dinner we decided to try Campeche a Mexican restaurant with outside area and a rooftop. We are able to enjoy our dinner as the sky changed in color. The next morning we had fluffy pancakes for breakfast with sausage and fruits on the side. It was filling and delicious! Then we head out to check Thunder Bay falls, stop at an antique shop on our way back to their downtown area where we ate lunch. We had a lot of left overs and decided we will not eat out for dinner and I had this idea to shop for wine and dessert before heading back to our B&B. There's a lot of plus side renting a bed and breakfast, you have access to microwave, cutlery including wine glasses! We concluded our trip kayaking before the sun went down. We saw a lot of birds. It was pretty peaceful and romantic as we move along the river with fall colors in bloom around us. Overall, it was a pretty charming experience and one would fancy that you could love this little life.

Here's a list of the stores we visited and liked:

• Peace of the Past

• Bread & Vine

• Chocolate Factory

• Campeche

• Galena Bakeshop

• Jamie's Wine studio of Galena

Good luck on your next adventure!