Halfway gone

Today is the halfway point of our stay in America. We have seen and experienced so much already.

Everything here is on a much larger scale. Whether it's the portion sizes for meals, the huge cars, or the vastness of the country.

By this point in our journey, we have walked 160 km (or 230,000 steps), and driven 3,920 km on our road trip. That's equivalent to crossing Switzerland 10 times in width.

Looking back, we can't believe how much we have already done.

We've been to the Empire State Building, stood in Times Square, met more wonderful family members, swam in the Atlantic Ocean, held alligators, and now we're on this road trip. These are just a few of the experiences we've had.

And yet, we still have so much ahead of us. We will be returning our thankfully very reliable car in San Diego. From there, we will continue our journey up the west coast, partly by bus and partly by car.

But we also notice the differences. One thing that stands out is the strongly chlorinated water. Not very tasty to drink. Additionally, almost every item in the store comes with its own plastic bag. Complete waste. We're also starting to realize that the journey is more tiring than expected. Waking up early in the morning is getting harder and harder.

But of course, we also have unexpected positive impressions. For example, the friendliness of Americans. We were initially expecting them to be unfriendly, but they are nothing like the stereotype we had in mind.

Complete strangers help you carry your suitcase or offer their assistance when you're a tourist and don't know where you are.

And the cleanliness of the motels. According to some reviews or other travel blogs, they are supposedly a nightmare. Roach-infested, dirty, smelly dives. Nonsense! Maybe we just got lucky, but everything so far has been satisfactory.

As you can probably tell, we could go on and on about America and our trip.

We are incredibly grateful for everything we have been able to experience and still will.

Once in a lifetime trip.