Flagstaff & Sedona

Today I am sending you a few impressions from the beautiful cities of Flagstaff and Sedona, both located in northern Arizona =)

Flagstaff is a relatively small city with only about 50,000 inhabitants, but it is incredibly cozy. As there is a university here, you can find students, bars, and restaurants. In winter, there is a ski resort in Flagstaff, but so far there is no snow. It's crazy, considering that Phoenix with high desert temperatures is just 2 hours south of here.

In Flagstaff, I tried to hike up a small mountain to see the city from above. The view was very beautiful, but during the hike, I experienced the first rain since Miami. And that reminded me once again how much weather matters. In wet and cold conditions, cities have a harder time leaving a great impression.

Today I had the great luck of being driven to Sedona by my Couchsurfing host to go on a hike and explore the city. And even though Sedona is only an hour away from Flagstaff, the weather there was much better. It was sunny and sometimes so warm that I could walk around in a T-shirt.

Sedona is an even smaller city than Flagstaff, surrounded by thousands of beautiful rocks and mountains. Although the place is very touristy, it is still so stunningly beautiful that the tourists hardly bother me. I think Sedona is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen during my trip. In addition to the mountains, there is also a lot of greenery and forests, it looks sooo amazing. I definitely need to go there again tomorrow.

I still remember sitting in my room in Saarbrücken and seeing pictures of Sedona. It was immediately clear to me: I have to go there, I want to see this beauty live. And the pictures did not deceive me, Sedona is an absolute dream! And on one hand, I am infinitely grateful to be able to see this beauty today, on my birthday. I have never had a warmer birthday in a more breathtaking backdrop. I am so incredibly grateful to be able to experience this.

On the other hand, I have to admit that today is not easy for me.... I miss all the dear, familiar people around me to hug me or celebrate with me on this day. It will probably be one of the hardest days of my journey...

But I don't want to complain because tears are part of traveling too. The price for freedom and adventure is sometimes high, and I am willing to pay it. On the other hand, I am so incredibly grateful for all the kind messages, (attempted) phone calls, and encouraging words on my birthday. Thank you very much for that. It's great to see that I don't have to celebrate alone and that so many people think of me, even though I am wandering around the world. You give me a lot of strength, also by reading my blog, and I would like to thank you very much for that today! And I will definitely respond to everyone as soon as I find some time =).

Because right now, I am lucky enough to find a little celebration company. I met nice Americans while hiking in Phoenix, and today they are spending the day with me and coming all the way to Flagstaff to have a beer with me. I'm curious to see how they toast to a birthday in the US and hope that it will help me feel a little less sad.