The last day

Now it's almost over, our last day of vacation in the land of unlimited possibilities. And we take a lot with us. Above all, confirmation that we have grown to love the USA as a vacation destination. This diversity, this size and last but not least the people.

An example from yesterday. In the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas. You can imagine that even the traffic there is exciting for us as rural Germans... and Rostock is province compared to Las Vegas. We arrive at a pedestrian crosswalk, we have a green light, and a car was already driving onto the crosswalk because in the USA they can turn right on red (similar to our green arrow). But then the driver couldn't do it. In our country, we would have to pass him by and the driver would probably innocently look into the distance. Not here, the driver rolls down the window, reverses from the crosswalk, and apologizes to us 'oh I'm sorry guys!'

And this has happened to us not just once, but we experience it almost every day. Unthinkable to have this happen so regularly at home. And also, the Americans apologize for everything, sometimes I get the feeling that they feel sorry for breathing the same air as us. Only once did I have an experience where someone was directly unfriendly to me. At Lake Mead, we were sitting together with Alexei, a Russian camp neighbor, and we were having a nice conversation in English. Then a young woman, around 30 years old (type of teacher... the kind you can't stand :) ), without a word of apology for interrupting, she came in between and asked 'do you speak English?, I need help with my RV, you guys have the same RV as me, can you come with me?'. No please, no sorry... of course, the Russian could help, he was nice. But in my opinion, it's just not right to barge in like that... and who would have thought it. The lady turned out to be... a German who apparently was traveling with her mother!

I don't want to generalize about everyone here. Surely and most definitely, there are also spoiled characters here, and yes, there are also dangerous and evil people. And just like at home, there are many kind people here. But as a tourist, I enjoy this American relaxed openness and friendliness, I just think that 'you're Welcome' sounds much friendlier than 'you're welcome' and it's simply a statement of an attitude. Nevertheless, I am proud to be German and I'm happy to come back to Rostock, especially because of all the dear people who read here and whom I don't have here. But if there was ever a reason to leave Germany, the USA would certainly be at the top of the list of options.

Today we returned our RV, the expected calculation of our minor damage came promptly as well. Florian, the manager of the Road Bear Station here in Vegas, was from Saxony, but he also radiated kindness even in such a situation. We were driven back to our Ellis Island by shuttle. Mom and Dad then walked to the Strip once again, they treated themselves to a ride on 'Highroller' at the hotel-casino 'The Linq'. That is one of the newest attractions. A giant Ferris wheel with individual golden balls. Each of them can accommodate about 20 people. You pay 25 dollars for a ride and have a great view. Some few balls are a bit more expensive, but then you have a waiter and a bar on board and you can really have fun there for half an hour, as someone said.

Later in the evening, we really had a lot of fun because we heard that the Ellis Island Casino, our Super 8 Motel, is directly connected to it and is known for its good food. In the Café & Pub, there is the famous Steak Special that is not on the menu. Here, for 12.99, you get a salad or soup as we know it in Germany, and then a huge piece of sirloin steak with french fries or alternatively a baked potato, and delicious garlic-soaked beans. It was a huge portion and very very tasty. Dad got to finish it, what I couldn't manage, and now we all can't move.

The suitcase is packed, and on Friday morning at 3 o'clock the alarm clock will ring. At 4 o'clock we will be taken to the airport by shuttle, and at around half-past six we will have our United Airlines plane back home. We will have a three-hour layover in New York and then we will be in Berlin at 8 o'clock on Saturday morning. Then this adventure will be history once again and no matter how much I write, I think that anyone who doesn't already have a spark of enthusiasm for this country will not be particularly convinced by my blog, because words can hardly describe exactly what makes our enthusiasm.

Nevertheless, for us it is already secretly certain.. This will not have been our last trip across the pond.