I needed some inspiration for today's song so looked to see if there were any weird and wonderful holidays to give me some ideas. Two stood out - national grilled cheese sandwich day (well that's lunch sorted) and then National Colorado Day which recognizes the Centennial State and the 38th state to join the Union.
There are many songs celebrating this beautiful state, but this particular song - written and released by Czech singer Mikolas Josef in 2019 - just reminded me of packing up the car, cranking up the radio and going on an impromptu road trip to Denver and Colorado Springs with my friends for a few days.
So in honour of National Colorado Day - here is a trip down memory lane with some highlights from Denver (known as the Mile High City due to being exactly one mile above sea level) and Colorado Springs
What if you run away with me?
You know the world is ours to see
It is impossible not to fall in love with this vivacious and quirky city. There is something new to discover at every corner and is an art lovers dream with museums and galleries all round.
You could spend hours in Downtown Denver - it is dominated by 16th street mall - a pedestrian friendly promenade lined with shops, outdoor bars and restaurants as well as a constant stream of live music and entertainment.
A moment that I will never forget is standing in the promenade at night and just taking it all in. Horse carriages trotted along, while in corner, games of chess were taking place and further along, a queue had formed for hair braiding. Colourful pianos were dotted along the promenade for people to play and have a good sing song. As we stood watching, a tiny elderly lady calmly sat down to play at one, and while we expected classic music, she was holding court playing a raucous version of Hey Jude. It was absolutely magical watching everyone around her join in singing in the street.
Even though our trip was short, we were lucky to visit and experience some wonderful places - Elitch Gardens Theme Park, various museums and galleries (Molly Brown - the Titantic survivor's mansion is there), the aquarium and sampling some street tacos in LoDo district.
Just dancing on the tables young and free
Young and free
Feeling like we hit the lotto
Living life without tomorrows
No road trip would be complete without some good nightlife and Denver did not disappoint. The city just came alive and music pumped out of every which way. There is a diverse music scene in Denver so you can hop around and see where takes your fancy.
After a few chilled cocktails at the Hard Rock Cafe, my friend and I spotted Denver's version of Coyote Ugly so of course we had to go in and dance on the bar (which always seems like such a good idea after cocktails) to some Deff Leopard and Don Henley. A lot of fun, almost fell off and still waiting for our call back. Tough crowd.
Another major highlight was taking a drive out of Denver to spend some time in nature.
About an hour's drive from Denver, lies the breathtaking Garden of the gods, a national park consisting of 1300 acres of sand formations. Legend has it that in 1859 a group of explorers came across the site and one remarked it would be a great spot for a beer garden. His companion commented that such a remarkable place was better suited as a place fit for the gods and that's how it got its name.
It is a spectacular sight and you feel like you are alone in the world walking through these formations, while in the distance you can just about make out the Rocky Mountains.
I once saw a sticker saying "I am grateful for anything that brings me back to Colorado" and this rings true - for Colorado and so many other places - there is still so much to explore and very different experiences to be had and this really has a new meaning after the past year - I know we will all be so grateful and happy once we can travel and explore again.
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