In the early morning of July 26th, we found ourselves heading to the airport to catch a flight to St. Louis, Missouri, the starting point of our road trip. After picking up our car, we headed to the Historic District of St. Charles.

The St. Charles National Historic District is the site of the first permanent European settlement on the Missouri River and of the embarkation of Lewis and Clark’s journey of exploration along the Missouri; it is also the first state capitol of Missouri. Today, you will find many old buildings with plaques that describe what the building was once used for along with many unique shops and restaurants.

Mary Beth and Bob were the main reason for visiting St. Charles. We met them during our river cruise on the Danube in 2022 and we promised we would stop by if we were ever in their neighborhood…well, we weren’t exactly in their neighborhood but we were close enough to our next stop! Lexi was quick to greet us and share her toys. Simba, the cat would remain in hiding the whole visit just as any good cat would do! We spent the afternoon catching up and enjoying a great visit with this wonderful couple.

After an afternoon of catching up, we enjoyed the best meal ever at their favorite restaurant, Paul Manno’s Cafe, and what a treat it was with great food and excellent company. As we ended our meal, we made our promises to see each other again one day.

On our way out of town, we made a little detour to check out The Gateway Arch National Park

Next stop: Gatlinburg, TN