Arizona dreaming with desert vibes. From owl sandwiches to canyon squirrels

  

One of us has clearly gotten more sun

Earrings!

Toasted owl brunch and approved sandwiches

Top: cactus fries and Brussels sprouts

Bottom: cilantro flatbread, bison steaks and rattlesnake sausages

We kicked off the day in The Toasted Owl Café. It had already been scouted and bookmarked online the day before. After a brisk morning walk through crisp Flagstaff air, we arrived hungry and ready. Scott ordered a sandwich and, after every two bites, declared to the world, “This is amazing.” He made sure every member of the service team knew that Europe is apparently a sandwich wasteland, filled with “sad little bread-based mistakes.” The man was passionate.

I went all in with a brie, prosciutto, and fig jam omelet (yes, that combo works) and a fluffy blueberry pancake. Everything was spectacular.

While Scott handled the checkout in the hotel, I wandered into their little shop — and discovered that they sell regular-sized candles for $58. If anyone's ever wanted to spend boutique perfume money on wax, I now know just the place.

We hit the road toward the Grand Canyon. On the way, we made a quick stop at a local indigenous-owned shop, where we chose our annual Christmas ornaments and a lovely pair of earrings.

Armed with a list of must-see viewpoints (thanks to a little help from ChatGPT), we spent the next few hours soaking up the breathtaking views of the South Rim. The sun was shining, the squirrels were out — and one particularly adorable little guy was spotted chugging water straight from a tourist’s bottle.

Next stop: Sedona, Scott’s old stomping grounds, where he lived for nearly three years. But not before a detour to the Oak Creek Canyon Overlook, just in time before they shut the gates at 5 PM. The views wer stunning and the wind was feral. Our selfie was almost airborne, and if you’ve looked at the photo above, you know what I mean.

As we arrived in Sedona, we settled into our hotel and immediately made a sunset trip to the Sedona Airport Scenic Overlook - a perfect end to the day, with golden light spilling over red rocks.

Dinner was at Cowboy Club, and it was a true Wild West sampler: cactus fries, bison steaks, rattlesnake sausage, cilantro flatbread, and roasted Brussels sprouts.

Arizona dreaming with desert vibes. From Neon Lights to Desert Nights

  

Still Christmas in the roadside Mexican joint

I so like the little libraries

All good things must come to an end — and today, it was time to say goodbye to Las Vegas (cue dramatic music and a slow-motion farewell to slot machines). We picked up our rental car, which turned out to be brand new, sleek, and only had 2,000 miles on it. A shiny spaceship of a vehicle that came with... attitude. But more on that in a moment.

First stop on today's tour: Me Gusta Tacos in Henderson (yes, we’ll travel for tacos). As always, the food was incredible. We kept ordering and eating like we hadn't seen food for the last three days. But then - the disappointment. We ordered churros, imagining a warm, cinnamon-dusted hug of a dessert served with gooey chocolate or caramel dipping sauce. What we got? One lone churro in a paper wrapper. No dip. No drizzle. Just... solitude. A dessert tragedy.

But onward! Next up: Hoover Dam, that majestic marvel of modern engineering. A few fun facts:

• It was built during the Great Depression (between 1931 and 1936)
• At the time, it was the tallest dam in the world
• It holds back Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S.
• It provides electricity to parts of Nevada, Arizona, and California

We had fun exploring, hopping between Nevada and Arizona and also took a walk on the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which soars 880 feet (268 meters) above the Colorado River. The views were jaw-dropping. The wind was life-threatening. We clung to our phones like they were winning lottery tickets. The side of the bridge was littered with the gone with the wind hats — sun hats, baseball caps, possibly a rogue toupee.

On the road again, Scott was grew increasingly frustrated in his intense battle with our car’s Cruise Assistant, which seemed desperate to become our third road trip member. Constant beeping, and wheel-grabbing led to Scott shouting things like “Let me drive, you idiot!” while searching (unsuccessfully) for the off switch.

We made it to Flagstaff, a charming university town nestled in the mountains - and fun fact: once upon a time, Scott worked here in a sports store!

Our motel turned out to be a hidden gem: spacious, sparkling clean, beds that felt like clouds, a KitchenAid water boiler, and a surprisingly lovely shower. We unpacked and took a relaxing stroll downtown, enjoying the cozy vibe of the town.

Dinner was delicious pasta followed by cookies, because obviously.

Can't keep calm, we're going to Las Vegas. Lobster rolls

  

Las Vegas Strip 2018 (top) and 2025 (bottom)

This morning, we started the day the only way that makes sense when in Las Vegas: with empanadas and cachapas at our favorite spot. If we'd stay here longer, they might as well name a table after us.

After breakfast, we took a little stroll and - in a moment of sweet nostalgia - looked for the hotel where we stayed when we got married.

Feeling adventurous (and possibly overly optimistic), we decided to ride the Las Vegas Monorail from our end of the Strip to the southern end. Promised: a sleek journey above the streets with great views of the Strip. Reality: a backyard tour featuring parking garages, service alleys, and some thrilling roofs. The only highlight was the surprisingly clear view of the Sphere, which is honestly so impressive it made up for at least two parking structures.

After our underwhelming transportation adventure, we popped into the Hershey’s store for some chocolate and headed back to the hotel after that. A quick gym visit and an even quicker dip in the pool made for a refreshingly nice midday break.

For the afternoon, we grabbed 24-hour bus passes and headed off in search of Luke’s Lobster. After some heated negotiations, we settled on four lobster sliders, and let me tell you: worth it. So fresh, so buttery, so... gone in 60 seconds.

We walked off our lobster feast with a nice stroll back to the hotel, then made our way up to the tower to catch the sunset with some drinks. Because what’s more Vegas than sipping cocktails 108 floors up while the city below starts to sparkle?

Planning to end the night on a sweet note, we headed to the hotel restaurant for dessert - only to find it had already closed. At 8pm! But, as always, Starbucks came to the rescue.

Can't keep calm, we're going to Las Vegas. Blue Man, arepas and the usual

 

We woke up Monday morning ready to embrace the magic of Las Vegas… only to find that our hotel room was still clinging to memories of the previous guests. An earring sparkled at us from the floor, and the toilet decided to remain clogged.

So Scott, our negotiator  marched to reception with our complaints, apologies, constructive critic about  earrings and plumbing. To their credit, the hotel staff were fairly apologetic and to not ruin our vacation completely, went full Vegas on the compensation: another set of food and drink vouchers, complimentary tickets to the tower (108 floors!), and last but not least scratching the resort fee. Net result? Three nights in Vegas for 30 euros total. Our usual brunches are more expensive than that.

We couldn’t move into our new, hopefully sticky stain free room until 1pm, so we headed out to my absolute favorite part of town: Downtown Vegas. It’s got charm, neon, and all the weird and fun one hopes for in this city. We had a leisurely brunch, picked up some donuts, and gambled a little.

From there we walked to the outlet center for some absolutely necessary shopping, then back to the hotel where we finally changed rooms. No plumbing issues this time and a much bigger room!

A little relax, after which we treated ourselves to a late lunch at our favorite arepa place, which continues to be amazing.

We took a bus to the strip, because Scott had bought tickets to Blue Man Group, which I thought was going to be a concert. Spoiler: it was not. It was a full-on, interactive performance with zero words, a lot of paint, and audience participation. I spent a solid chunk of the show planning my escape in case they decided to pull me on stage. My plan? Play dumb and pretend I don’t speak English. Flawless. Fortunately, I stayed in my seat, and the show was an absolute blast — bizarre, brilliant, and just the right amount of chaotic.

We returned to the hotel with over 30,000 steps on the pedometer and just enough energy left to collapse into our (new and improved) bed.