DAY 22 back in Vegas!!

Now we are sitting at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, waiting for our AC1852 flight to Toronto. From there, we will continue to Frankfurt at around 10:40 PM tonight and be back in Germany just in time for the Festival of Pumpkins and Monsters.

But before we head back home, let us tell you what happened on our last day:

We woke up very early yesterday morning around 5 AM. First, to minimize the jet lag towards Germany and secondly, because we still had a lot of miles ahead of us until Las Vegas.

So far, we didn't really need our thick sweaters and jackets because the weather has been unusually warm in the past few weeks. We could almost always walk around in shorts and shirts.

However, this morning our Jeep greeted us with frozen windows and icy -1 degrees outside our motel. So, we had to scrape the ice off for the first time this year. It was a bit challenging since we rented the car in Las Vegas, where we don't need an ice scraper all year round, so there was none in the car. With some improvisation using various objects, we managed to clear the windows and drove off into the still dark morning with squealing tires.

We had about 5 hours of driving ahead of us until our first stop, Death Valley. However, time flew by quickly because we could enjoy the beautiful sunrise over the mountains and the breathtaking landscape along the way.

The temperatures outside and inside the car kept rising, and every 30 minutes we had to take off our scarf, then jacket, and finally our sweaters as it reached 28 degrees in Death Valley. The journey here was truly unique, especially because we almost ran over a giant tarantula that was crossing the road.

We had to pass through here anyway, so we made use of the time to visit the Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America below sea level.

Here, there was nothing but desert and dried-up salt lakes. It was super interesting and provided a great backdrop for some final pictures, especially since our memory cards are almost full by now.

We continued towards Las Vegas and finally arrived after another 2.5 hours of driving. This completed our route and our road trip, and it felt a bit strange to know that tomorrow we have to return our beloved car and won't be staying in a different hotel/motel every night anymore.

But we still had one more night in the Sin City, and we wanted to make the most of it and do all the things we missed or didn't see in the first few days.

So, we left our luggage at the motel and changed into light clothes because by now Vegas had reached 32 degrees, and it's the end of October!

Our motel was about a 20-minute walk from the Strip, which is not far at all for Las Vegas.

First, we visited a few malls and actually found one or two things that we had been looking for in vain in the past few weeks....sometimes you just get lucky!!! However, we weren't so lucky at the casino this time because we lost the last dollars we had in cash in our wallets. The slot machines weren't in a good mood today, but that's part of it!

We spent the rest of the evening mostly walking around and observing. The streets of Vegas are currently filled with crazy costumes and people on their way to one of the big Halloween parties. Halloween is everywhere here, and you can't escape it. Everything is decorated, and illuminated pumpkins are smiling at us on every street corner.

It's a shame that we have to go home right now, but next time Halloween will definitely be on our MUST-DO list!!!!!!

Back at the motel, it was time for the last round of packing before heading home, and it turned out to be not as easy as we thought.

It's not easy to fit 3 weeks' worth of luggage, including shopping, souvenirs, and gifts for friends and family, into 2 suitcases. But by now, we are experts at packing suitcases (because we had to do it every day for the past few weeks) and successfully managed this task.

The feeling is always the same when you close a hotel door for the last time and realize that the next door you open will be your own front door.

But we will be back, that's for sure!

Now we need some time to process all the impressions and experiences, and we are really excited to be back home. Literally, because we have missed our two kitties so much over the past few weeks!

BYE BYE Las Vegas and BYE BYE America, you were simply amazing, and we are already looking forward to seeing you again!

We are closing another chapter in our lives and are curious about what the next ones hold for us!

Now, let's get on the plane!

Ready for departure and ready for Germany!!!!!!!!!