Mile High City

September 19 - 21

We made it to the Mile High city of Denver, Colorado on a perfect weather day with beautiful blue skies. As we drove out of the prairie I couldn't help but be excited at my first look in many years of the truly big mountains of the West. I was gleeful when we entered Denver and, just past the city, 

the high peaks came starkly into view.  We both felt a lifting of our moods as this new scenery finally showed up. 

Joyce’s friend, Elizabeth, was expecting us around 4pm and we had not calculated being an hour ahead of schedule with the time change.  So we wandered about the Washington Park section of Denver to grab a drink and small plate so we wouldn’t be arriving too early.  Our first impressions of Denver’s different communities were of nicely-organized communities with lots of trees.  Our impressions from our visit to The Tavern in Wash Park was that Denver was full of good-looking people.  I swear while I sat outside on a nice patio with a cocktail, every person that I saw was attractive whether young or old.  And our experience later on that evening only seemed to further that notion (although our server at dinner guffawed at that notion and told us we just had not yet seen enough of Denver). 

I believe one of the things that made Denver such a favorite

place on our travels so far were the people we stayed with….Elizabeth and Yasu.  We experienced so much kind and gracious treatment I felt I could be happy just staying right there for the rest of our trip.  We reveled in the lengthy, intriguing conversations that passed between us all over the next couple of days.   We covered so many topics and stayed up late talking in their cozy and embracing home.  Mornings allowed us time to sit in the garden which displayed Elizabeth's and Yasu nurturing care. There were flowers all around the house which Joyce enjoyed photographing.  

Elizabeth has her own business, Dream Italia, doing travel tours over to parts of Italy and Yasu is one of four brothers in

the restaurant business with the incomparable Sushi Den and Izakaya Den. (See our suggested links.) I had heard great things about his sushi and was looking forward to Elizabeth's plan for dinner that night.  The restaurants themselves are decorated beautifully and Toshi's vision and creativity were apparent in every corner.  Joyce and I have sampled sushi in many venues but Yasu took it all to a higher level.  We were so thankful for our evening on the town with Elizabeth.  We had a nightcap on the patio of Izakaya Den with the moon bright and settling over us, chatting and laughing with the servers who treated us like rock stars.  It was obvious the high esteem that Elizabeth and Yasu held with the staff.  I still have to correct our one server though....as she was telling me that 'no, not everyone in Denver is good-looking'; a gorgeous young man, Alex, who could have stepped out of a Calvin Klein ad came over to check on us.  Mmhmmm....sure they aren't.