Day 1 - Madison

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After months of preparation and anticipation, the first day of our honeymoon and the first day on our own in almost a month has arrived! So, to start it off, we went out to breakfast with friends. As you do. Benedict’s La Strata in Crystal Lake, IL is one of my favourite breakfast places. Jon had a classic eggs benedict and I had my go to favourite, chilaquiles. Once we'd said goodbye to Alicia and Kathy we were off - straight to Home Depot. I suspect there will be a number of shopping trips along the way for things forgotten. Besides, it's Jon's favourite store so in some ways we can count it as part of the holiday.

As we drove north towards Wisconsin, the suburbs quickly melted away and the vast fields of corn took over. At the border, we took a Dress picture. The cost per wear of this dress is going to be next to nothing by the end of this trip. Probably equivalent to what the dress will be worth as well. Changing into a wedding dress in a car on the side of the road is a fine art. Well, if you could have watched me do it you would probably use the phrase sloppy mess instead of fine art but luckily Jon and the lady on her front porch at the house on the border are the only witnesses. Midwesterners are the best. We had honks and waves from the people passing by as I stood by the Welcome to Wisconsin sign. I wonder what the mountaineers and cowboys out west will think of this.

Once in Madison, we went straight to the hotel. We stayed at the Mansion Hill Inn (http://www.mansionhillinn.com). If you are ever in Madison, stay here. It was amazing. We will definitely be returning. It was elegant, personal, homely, friendly, refined, welcoming and luxurious. I've never before stayed anywhere that can make all of those claims. Our room had a private balcony, a massive king size sleigh bed, a seating area with a sofa and a fireplace, floor to ceiling windows and, best of all, a hidden bookcase door into the bathroom. If we could build a dream house, this would be our master suite.

But, we didn't spend all of our time in the room. We were walking distance to the town centre and wanted to get a little of the local culture. So we spent about 20 minutes at the State Capitol Building before heading straight to a Tavern... Coopers Tavern to try some local brew. Later that evening we frequented the local steak restaurant, Tornados - a 1970s relic with wood panelling, dark lighting and the levels of salt on the food that predates heart disease awareness.

Overall, it was a pretty good first day. Turns out marriage and honeymooning suits us just fine. Long may that last! 79 days to go...

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Photos

First State Border Crossing
If this dress survives this trip it will be a miracle. After squeezing into it, I stood there sweating for about 10 minutes and then peeled it off and stuffed it into a bag.

Corny
Seriously, farm towns have the best roadside attractions.

Jon at his happiest
America's version of B&Q. Bigger. Better.

Mansion Hill Inn
The most amazing place with the nicest people. The perfect start to our trip.

Our dream house master suite
Room 7 will be the plaque we put on our bedroom door in our future dream house.

Got salt?
What a midwestern 70s flashback this was!