Houston, we have (no) problem

On time our plane landed in Houston. Since all security checks, including entry into the US, had already taken place on Canadian soil, we were able to pick up our backpacks directly at the baggage claim. We went to the rental cars and received our Dodge RAM 1500 Hemi. This is a huge pick-up truck. Because after all, according to Mathias' argumentation, one must adapt the car to the customs of the land. This is of course a clever excuse to fulfill the dream of a big automobile. So we climbed into the interior of the four-wheeled monster and immediately set off on our way to our new home.

Our AirBnB - once again we had a whole house to ourselves - was located about fifteen minutes north of downtown. The cottage had apparently been renovated in the past years. However, this did not apply to most of the houses in the neighborhood. Some were in a desolate state. It wasn't the richest neighborhood either way. Hungry, we set off. Most of the restaurants offered Mexican dishes. Our burrito tasted hearty. On the way back, it became clear to us that the area was not only rather destitute, but also mostly inhabited by people of Mexican descent. Most signs had both the English text and its Spanish translation. So close to the border there is - wall or no wall - a cultural blending. We felt safe and comfortable here.

The next day we took a trip to downtown. Finding a parking space was more time-consuming than we thought. Since there was a game of the Astros, the local baseball team, going on, most public parking lots were full. After a while, however, we managed to conquer a parking space on the side of the road for ourselves. This was quite a cheap option at two dollars per hour.

Houston impressed us with its cleanliness. Even in the side streets, we couldn't find any litter. In the downtown area, one skyscraper dominated next to the other. Only in the historic center did the small restaurants create a holiday or leisure atmosphere. Otherwise, the city seems rather sterile to us.

In a shopping mall, we had lunch. With these huge portions at low prices, it's really not surprising that people suffer from obesity. Even though we hadn't eaten breakfast that day, neither of us managed to finish our plate.

Exhausted from the heat, as it was nearly forty degrees Celsius that day, we drove back to our accommodation after three hours. Without a navigation system, we would have been lost. Americans exclusively use street names and not place names. So, for example, it is not possible to drive towards 'Interlaken' if you want to go from Bern to Belp or Thun. The lane guidance is also more complex - wherever you look, highways come from all directions, which pass under or over one's own lane.

On the way to New Orleans, we made a stop at the NASA Space Center the next day. This is an absolute must for all Houston visitors. The highlights of the exhibition include the space shuttle attached to a Boeing 747 and the Apollo Mission Control Room. The control room is in its original state. From here the flight to the moon was monitored and coordinated in 1969. During the presentation, exactly the same data flickers on the screen as the ground team saw at that time. In addition, the original conversations, including a phone call from the White House, were played. Really extremely interesting and entertaining. By the way, we were in the observation room behind the control center. This was where the relatives and all journalists sat back then.

Fascinated by the fact that people were able to fly to the moon with what is now seen as a primitive technology, we left the NASA Space Center. After a drive of about four hours, we reached Lake Charles. Here we spent the night in a hotel. The following day we continued towards New Orleans. We are looking forward to the birthplace of jazz and to meeting Kevin again.