Las Vegas, Baby! (Part 1)

...but before that, we took a detour to the Valley of Fire on the way. It's not called that for nothing: the rock formations and colors live up to the name and shine in the most beautiful shades of red and orange 😍 Despite the heat, we were able to inspire the younger ones for a short hike. We hiked through a slot canyon (like Antelope Canyon) this time 'without the man who talks too much' (quote Finn) 😂 We mostly admired the other formations while driving by - truly a wonderful landscape 🤩

And then, we were - bam - back in the big city. The transition is a bit overwhelming (especially in terms of traffic 😉). We are glad that our camping for the next 4 nights is a bit outside and is - for a big city - quiet, with a pool and jacuzzi to splash around in 😊

We decide to take the bus to the Strip - probably the first and only time using public transport in the USA 😂 (The bus took nearly 60 minutes for the trip - by car, you can get there in 20 minutes (depending on traffic) 🙈) On the bus, you see the entire 'underclass' (or the 'other side') of Las Vegas: junkies, unemployed people, beggars... everyone uses the bus (sometimes just for a nap in the air-conditioned seat) - and us. It's an experience of a different kind, but it generated many (good) questions from the boys 😉

Upon arriving at the Strip, the noise, the people, and the scale nearly overwhelmed us at first. But it can't be any other way - after all, it's Vegas!! 🤩 We visited everything from the Flamingo, MGM, M&Ms Store to the High Roller (the giant Ferris wheel) and the Bellagio (with the fountain show). Unfortunately, the pirate ship show at Treasure Island has been discontinued since 2013; I vividly remembered it from childhood days 😁

Las Vegas is simply unique, gigantic, intoxicating 🤩 See photos. The boys think it's great (especially Finn), Robin finds it a bit 'too much of everything', and Lenny would like to go to Dunkin' Donuts 3 times a day.. 😂🙈 Stay tuned for Part 2!

P.S. The boys always complain about the (endless) hiking.. and here they casually walked over 20,000 steps in one day, just like that 😂 (Well, all except Lenny 🤪)