Day 15 - Los Angeles - Griffith Observatory - last day USA

Yes, what day of the week is today? I have to take a look first. You're already completely distracted 😅😁🤷🏼‍♂️.

After a few swims in the pool, we ordered our first Uber yesterday and drove to Griffith Observatory. Top 🔝

This is located on a mountain and you can enjoy a beautiful view of LA. For fans of astronomy 🔭🪐 a visit to the building is a must. We saw Galileo's telescope. At least that's what was written there 😵. We didn't even see the sea from the mountain, the city is so big (but of course there's no comparison to Manhattan) 😅. Coincidentally, the word “Hollywood” is attached to the neighboring mountain. In this respect, you can of course take photos of it again. When we gathered for “coffee and cake” in the outdoor area of the café, we had some peace and quiet around us and were able to enjoy the view. Not entirely true: A very energetic wasp 🐝 kept us on our toes and also got something - somehow reminds me of home ☺️.

We returned again with an Uber driver (order via app). However, the prices vary greatly. It probably has something to do with the time, but I'll stay tuned and keep an eye on it. The driver listened to classical music, but was relatively young. Cool guy 😀🙈.

We're currently killing time at the airport before catching the plane to Auckland in the evening ✈️. By the way, the ticket simply says “+ 2 days” - awesome 😅. We are so happy when the departure and arrival days (plural!) are in the box... Until then we have to pass the time: One last burger - how bad. We just can't see the food in the US anymore. There are burgers and pizza everywhere. Even the sandwiches are basically burgers too 🤦🏼‍♂️.

Similar to NYC, there are quite a few homeless people - most likely much more so in LA. Sometimes you don't know if they're even still alive... It's hard just to see something like that - let alone what happens to them. This is everyday life for the residents and it is always remarkable for us to see how encounters are simply ignored. Ultimately, it follows, among other things, that on many corners/in many streets there is - to put it cautiously - a very strong smell in the air. This shows us how irrelevant some of our “worries” at home are.

In addition, people generally seem to me to be quite excited. I can remember a 60-year-old woman with a ghetto blaster on her shoulder at a traffic light in brightly colored clothing that I just can't get out of my head. The device's speakers were oriented toward the head. This makes you ask yourself: What is actually wrong here?! 😅🙈. In addition, the NYPD could be found on many corners of New York. We hardly saw any police here, but we did see meter-high walls and fences with barbed wires 🙈…

I think what sets LA apart is the stunning beaches as well as Hollywood. Anyone interested in the film industry will definitely get their money's worth and water lovers will of course too.

We saw a lot and experienced a lot in the cities we visited in the USA. We can't even write all of this down. Sometimes there are simply no words to express the feelings 🤷🏼‍♂️. We are very happy about these experiences because they enrich life and, above all, enable different perspectives on many things. The world is so much more than “just Germany” - in many ways.

I would like to emphasize again: Of course we can only describe our first impressions. Of course, to get a comprehensive picture of a city or region, you have to spend a lot more time there. When de Tocqueville visited the country in the 1830s and wrote two very good books about his observations about, among other things, people and their thinking, he traveled through the country for several years 😁.

Soooooooo, the burgers are slowly calling. How beautiful 😅. So then we say goodbye for a few days and wish you a pleasant time ☺️. And please excuse the possible many typos, but there isn't enough time to formulate your thoughts accordingly 😅.