road trip || personal {hannah elise photography}

two weeks ago I got to go away on a road trip with my Mom for the weekend...which was waaay fun.

we went to Galena, IL and got to do shopping, eating, and reeeelaxing at an adorb b+b there. This town was super duper cute, as you'll see from these photos.

it was the cutest main street...it went around seemingly endless in one long curve.

 this shop had style.

 I mean, look at their window display. yeah. pretty awesome.

 hey hey there I am. ;)

Aslan?

 this was a neat Italian restuarant, erm, Ristorante.

 giant cans of olives...I've decided that olive-devouring will be my second job along with photography.

 Mom and I stayed at the lovelylovely Grandview Guest Home in Galena. The sweet lady who runs the place had everything decorated so beautifully...quite Jane Austen-ish. I highly recommend that place if you ever go there and need a place to stay.

 oh and did I mention that we got to sleep in the maid's quarters? eeeepic.

 the front entrance...

 which overlooks this...

 pretty sweeet.

 Everything was so exact and lovely. and the breakfast was deeelish I tell ya.

 the architecture everywhere was so incredible!

I loooooved this fence. so stellar!

I went out the next morning for a walk with my camera...which is what most of these shots are from.

I have no idea what this flowery stuff is, but it was gorgeous.

talk about unique...
I want to see the inside of that house!

there's my post office...♥

at some point in my life I will sleep in the turret room of a house like this one.

this mailbox was in a sweet little alley/backroad.

there were so many different fences all within a few blocks.

this just might be better than a PO box...maybe.

somehow this yard doesn't quite fit with everything else, lol.

[insert drool] I want that cute little mailbox too...I'm not obsessed with mail, am I?

and there I am again.

I want to sit down and write letters. right now. and with the feather pen.

cheeeeck out those pocket doors...

a certain friend [no names mentioned] will hate me for posting this pic.. :P

these next 2 were taken in an incredible jewelry shop...that had gorgeous lighting.

there was a necklace there that I almost splurged and bought.
it was $42.
gulp.
I'm glad I kept my $ where it should be.....in my wallet. :P

I did buy this though...

at Poopsie's

it's a scarf made from strips of sari's from India.
whoever thought of that is a genius.

I've already worn it several times and l.o.v.e. it.

def a happy purchase.

me and Mom, right before we left. :)

On the way home we stopped in Bellevue, IA and found an awesome thrifty store called the "Classy Closet." some of the shirts in this post where from there.
anyway, Bellevue is a cute little town right on the Mississippi.

we drove up to their state park/butterfly garden/lookout spot.
the butterfly garden wasn't too exciting since none of the flowers were blooming yet obviously, and thus we only saw about 7 butterflies, haha. :P

the view was incredible though.

I wonder what it must be like living there.

I mentioned to the girl working at the gas station that they have such a beautiful view here, being right on the river. And she said something about how they don't really think about it since they just always live there.
Sometimes we forget all the beauty around us until someone else sees it for the first time.

lookie-lookie who actually got to be on the other side of the lens for once.. ;)

hope you enjoyed seeing the photos from our trip. :)

anyone else been out globe-trotting lately?

even if you haven't, where would you go right now if you could?

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