Escape to the Cape

Tired of Canada Day and fearing the upcoming Stampede Festival, the alarm clock rings at 4:30 am in the very comfortable airport hotel in Calgary. Half asleep, we walk the path to check-in, which we had found the night before. That was good, otherwise we would have been "a little lost" because the United counter was very hidden.

All good, checked in the luggage and then to the 'beloved' security check and immigration point for entry into the USA. How we hate this procedure!!! Not the first time we think that one should not travel to the states anymore...

We don't know any other country that makes such a fuss about a holiday stay. Where do you want to go?, why do you want to go there and when will you come back? Oh, what do you do for a living? As if they know what a job center is in Germany and what tasks an integration specialist has... It's easier for me as a pensioner - they exist in the USA too... :-)

And time is running out. We took more time at check-in, even though we had already done part of the online check-in (then the program crashed...) and now the remaining procedure. Also here at the security check, it's different at every airport. Sometimes you have to take off your shoes, belt and watch, sometimes you can leave more or less everything on... And always the passengers who still haven't understood that liquids, scissors, nail files or pocket knives are not allowed in hand luggage...

Finally sitting in the plane, I realize with bewilderment that a passenger in a row diagonally in front of us is casually cutting a bagel and spreading something on it. Clearly, you need a knife for that... so much for the effectiveness of the security checks...

The flight goes smoothly and we land in Chicago in the best weather. Just briefly uncertain whether we still have to pick up the through-checked luggage now because we are also entering the USA for the first time... But an officer says we don't need to.

There's still something to eat in the food court and then we wait for the connecting flight to Boston.

Contrary to Canada Day on July 1, which was enthusiastically celebrated by Canadians and also made obvious by a lot of decoration, Independence Day on July 4 seems to be less celebrated on the American side at first. No flags or any other "Happy Independence Day" banners or the like are to be seen. Only in Boston at the car rental station are we reminded of the day by tons of balloons in Stars&Stripes decoration. But apparently the carrot head got his parade for several billion dollars...

We landed in Boston ahead of schedule and picked up the rental car. This time more in the category we had booked. A Kia Forte, probably with one-third of the horsepower of our Dodge Charger...

It also differs in other ways: First, I'm looking for the start button for the engine. None there! Then the realization that here you have to put the car key in the ignition and then start the car. How old-school... So far, we had a car that was satisfied with the car key being in the car. I had searched for the handbrake next, which until now had been a foot brake. I had completely forgotten that it could be located between the front seats, like in our German cars. But we have to cope with downshifting...

In Hyannis on Cape Cod, we are greeted with fireworks. Well, it wasn't just for us... Apparently, fireworks are set off everywhere in the States at 9 pm on July 4. At least that's what the steward on the plane said when we landed in Boston...

While shopping in the supermarket, which seems almost deserted because of the fireworks, we are accompanied by "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" by Modern Talking and tempted to do a little dance routine...:-)

In our final holiday destination of this trip, the weather is perfect. Nice and warm, around 26 degrees Celsius, but hellishly humid, even late in the evening. Tomorrow we will, once again, get up early because we will take the ferry to Martha's Vineyard without a car and explore the area on foot. We are very excited about what awaits us there... It's supposed to be very charming...

You can already guess, we will report about it...