Taco Tuesday

This morning we had to say goodbye to San Diego in the most beautiful weather.

But we couldn't start our journey until we took a look at the border with Mexico. We would have loved to cross the border but we were advised against it from all sides, especially because the border town of Tijuana is said to be too dangerous.

So we made our way into the desert 🌵

On the drive, we experienced the Wild West as we know it from TV: huge ranches, small villages with wooden houses and saloons, and Indian reservations.

We also experienced an almost civilization-free zone that resembles the lunar landscape. After Maxi, as a certified DMAX animal documentary fan, discovered tarantula holes in the ground during a photo stop, the intermediate stops were over. 🙈😨😱

Then, among cacti, rocks, and huge mountains, a large green oasis suddenly appeared about 1,200 meters below us. 😍😍

Unfortunately, on the way to the hotel, we also got to know the dark side of America. The negative aspects of the open handling of weapons in this country became apparent.

Last week, two police officers were killed in a shootout in Palm Springs. One was a man who was about to retire, and the other was a young mother who had just returned from maternity leave.

We happened to be there when the convoy with the coffins, accompanied by countless police officers in cars and motorcycles, drove on the interstate to the funeral.

Here, the Americans' national pride was also shown. We stood together with hundreds of people on a highway bridge. They were not relatives, but just passersby who wanted to pay their last respects to the two. In the middle, there were police officers and firefighters on their cars, with huge US flags, saluting their comrades for the last time. Even the cars on the opposite lane stopped (in the middle of the highway). Even as outsiders, we experienced this moment with goosebumps (at 33 degrees) and tears in our eyes.

Now onto something more pleasant. Palm Springs, our hotel, and the restaurant where we are sitting right now are amazing! The temperatures are very high during the day and extremely pleasant in the evenings. The city is flourishing everywhere even though it is in the middle of nowhere!

It's a shame that we are only here for one day. But tomorrow, an absolute highlight is on the agenda. We're going to Las Vegas 🎉🎉

Until then, good night to us and good morning to you 🌞

Maxi and Verena

Ps .: Taco Tuesday is happening here in the bar. That means delicious tacos for half price and many delicious drinks that finally have German quality (expensive German quality 🙈😁).