Day 12 - Philadelphia

Phew, it was hot again last night. And it's probably already 25°C this morning too. Breakfast in the motorhome and then off to the city of Philadelphia. Along the Delaware River, on the other side is New Jersey, we approached the fifth largest city in the USA. Did you know that Philadelphia was once the capital of the USA? First it was New York, then Philly, and now, of course, Washington.

And that's why the Declaration of Independence was also signed here. With the signatures of the states involved at the time, this solemn act was sealed with the ringing of the Independence Bell. Later, the bell got a distinctive crack, which has many stories, but no one knows exactly where it came from. That was our goal for today.

We had chosen one of our popular Walmart parking spaces near the harbor, not far from an IKEA store, of which I only saw the signpost. We set off on foot and walked for about 4 km. It was much more pleasant walking today (yeah.. of course, I was riding my wheelchair). Narrow streets, tiny houses - a bit like in Amsterdam. Very beautiful and quite different from what we have seen in American cities so far.

Then we were at the Independence Hall and right next to it was a small glass pavilion through which you could walk along a corridor filled with photos, videos, and stories... and then you reached the bell. No admission fee, although security check like at the airport, but that's okay too. Safety first. You could take pictures and take as much time as you wanted.

It was a great feeling to be able to experience history up close. Then at the Visitor Center, we inquired about how to get to the National Museum of Art. You don't know it.. we didn't either and we didn't become art experts overnight. BUT... there you can find the famous steps where Rocky Balboa alias Sylvester Stallone became famous almost exactly 40 years ago. Today there is a statue there that gets just as much attention as the art museum. So we also collected photos on all possible devices. Then we went on a little tour of the city and took the Phlash Bus back towards the harbor. Philadelphia showed us its most beautiful side. So now we're sitting here for the first time in very relaxed temperatures... something below 40°C and looking forward to a less sweaty night somewhere in Pennsylvania. Tomorrow we're heading towards New York!!!

Goodnight, Daniel