Rogue I on the Route 66. Or: We're going on an adventure

Where did I leave you? Right, on my flight to Vegas. We arrived 40 minutes ahead of sxhedule and got to our car rental early. Funny thing though; at Hertz, you don't get to talk to the nice real life people at the counter, no, you have to get to a service point and phone their customer service via a very skype-esk connection. Then you get a car you didn't want in the first place, but end up loving as soon as you get in. I love "my" Nissan Rogue. I loved it right away, I gave the dark grey car the name "Rogue I" and felt pretty clever. 

Getting into town without a navigational system (because honestly, 150 quid in the time of google maps?!?) was a little harder than I thought, but easier than it felt. We found our just off-strip hotel all right and checked in, to meet up later and go see Vegas at night. Which was...scary to be quite honest. I've rarely seen so many people in one place and I didn't care for it either. Also, homeless people everywhere, heat as hell, and total sensual overload. Music is being blared at you from all sides, people run into you, smell badly, and lights and screens and ada everywhere. We ended up seeing a short part of the strip and watching the Bellagio fountain show, then went back to the hotel. It had been a long day after all, starting at the other half of the continent and such. Vegas felt like a theme park gone wrong.

The next morning I actually got up at 5:15 am to get to Crossfit Max Effort, where I realised that my cold wasn't quite as over as I'd have liked it to be, we did a lot of volume and I had to shift down a gear to baby my cardiovascular system. But I got a few good pointers on the kettlebell swing and my push presses. As well as my jerk technique so it was totally worth it. Afterwards, I meant to leave right away so we could get breakfast quickly, but got held up by a nice conversation with one of the regulars, who told me how he came to Vegas from a small town in Missouri and what kind of cultural shock it had been. Then we got to talking about politics, especially the upcoming elections in America. It was quite interesting to get an Americans view on the matter, because there's a bunch of things you really just don't get from a European perspective. Then home, quick shower, breakfast, and off to see a little Vegas. We went through most of the popular hotels, gambled away in some of the casinos, rode the rollercoaster at the New York, New York, bought some MGM Grand merch, and stared in wonder at the replica of a mediterranean city in the Forum shops. It was a frigging 40 degrees celsius out and we were happy to spend time indoors.

Around four in the afternoon we made off to Williams, Arizona, where our motel would be and we arrived there after admiring the Hoover Dam and Lake Meat, the old Route 66 and life on the American highways. In Williams, all that was left to do was go to sleep and be happy we didn't have to see Vegas again. 

And then the Grand Canyon. We spent most of our day there, just staring at this wonder of nature from different vantage points.

This is The Abyss:

Things that only happen to you when visiting the Grand Canyon:

- sitting next to a child called 'Jedi'

- the bus driver announcing "Please be sure to take all of your belongings with you when you get off the bus. This is...The Abyss" in a horror movie voice. 

I'd love to say a lot about the Grand Canyon, because I gathered some experiences to last me for a lifetime, but the thing is: you can't put this feeling into words. You can't capture those vistas in a photograph. You can try, but you will always fail. There's just no words for it. Let's just say, looking at the Grand Canyon makes you understand why people here believed in Mother Earth, why they believed in higher spirits, in something that has created landscapes like this.

You feel incredibly small and meaningless and at the same time like part of something that's bigger than you. As I said, words are insufficient, but at least I tried.

The next morning, we were supposed to leave for LA via the old Route 66, but...we only got as far as Seligman, AZ until our motor started sputtering and complaining that there wasn't enough oil pressure. So, off to the Shell at Seligman, I-40, ramp 123, to buy some oil. Which is when we discovered that the guy who had done the basic maintenance for our car had obviously forgotten to screw the oil tank cap back on, as it was neatly stowed away next to the cooling system. But not where it belonged. The whole motor block had been drenched in oil for three days and basically we were lucky nothing more had happened. Except that our Route 66 trip became a real adventure. We called Hertz and they sent a tow truck to come and get us back into the next big city. Which happened to be... Vegas, never-come-back city. Now at 42 degrees and about a two hour detour. I had to name the car "Rogue I", implying that there'd be a "Rogue II". Rogue II is jet black and even bigger than Rogue I, same model, but more perks. Love it. Though the detour still sucked.

BUT: we met so many nice people in Seligman. If you ever go to the Grand Canyon, stop at the Shelll station there. People there restored my faith in humanity. They let us use their phones, hang around the gas station, tried to calm us down, tried to help us where they could, wanted to try and clean out our motor block themselves. We met a Mexican that had been parked there by his girlfriend and her mother, and who was waiting for them to come fetch him, shaving his head, talking about the weather. Our tow truck driver was the kindest guy, he even saw to it that we really got a new car, when there was some slight communication error. And then, suddenly, we were on our way to LA, driving through the Mojave desert, down the mountains and toward the City of Angels. Dusk in these mountains was beautiful. Longwinding roads and hilltops gleaming in all the colours of sundown, the view down into the bowl LA is located in. I loved every minute of the drive. And then there we were. At the end of the Route 66, Santa Monica Boulevard. We found a hotel right away and turned in pretty soon after that, because boy, were we tired. But we made it. The second part of our trip was done. Now we are at the West Coast. California.

Late night alarms and Freedom trails

Boston, May 23rd

"I'm only here because I need to use google-maps and your free wi-fi"

So, at 3am there was some kind of fire alarm drill going down. And after that I was wide awake, because according to my internal clock, well it was time to get up. But I turned ariund and get some more shut-eye. Didn't work, though, so at 5 I gave up, gave in, got up, and got out to go for a morning run.

This city is frickin' beautiful. And it has pet-able squirrels. And Canada geese. And a bay and a skyline and one of the greatest running trails ever. I just ran where my feet took me and sure thing, got myself lost somewhere around Beacon Hill. But hey, there's a Starbucks, so after using the complementary wi-fi and getting in some caffeine, I made my way home through roads winding up hills with those emergency stairways on old brownstones you, or rather I, only knew from the motion pictures until now. And oh, Boston is so pretty during dawn. I might just be in love.

 We followed the Red Brick Road like Dorothy her yellow one, when we discovered the 4km Freedom Trail for most of today, and went on a few side quests as well. I might just love this city. It's pretty, the people are relaxed, friendly, and down to earth, and...living in a city without clam chowdah seems like a waste. There's so much history here, interwoven with the modern glass and steel skyscrapers, it's fascinating and exhilarating. We stood in places Ben Franklin and Samuel Adams stood, we rode with Paul Revere from his house to the Old North Church, we watched the USS Constitution, we did all the touristy stuff. Market Halls weren't safe and oh, I actually made a cashier at 7Eleven laugh pretty hard, when I told him, I had to get all the sweets I have ever seen in Hollywood movies - and the Gilmore Girls - and couldn't get in Europe. By the way, Twinkies and Ho-hos...so not worth the acid reflux. :D

Our hotel really is located in a really fancy-pants neighborhood, as we got a Tiffany's in the lobby, Hermés, Dolce, Chanel, Cartier, and Burberry right next to us, across the street are the Boston Public Gardens. And a little down the road there's the Prudential Tower. The only bad news today was the fact that you can't get to Foxboro via public transport, except for game days. And I don't have the time to find a car rental and start bargaining. But, yeah, it's been a great day with a lotta laughs and even more sun burn. The Atlantic smells great and the sun was shining most of the time, what more could you wish for on your first real day of vacation? :)

The Luck of the Irish

So, I've been AFK for quite some time, but there's a reason for that: I've been busy with training, work, and travelling. A friend and I travelled to Dublin at the beginning of December, because the two of us had a holiday at the same time for the first time in a while. And we've always wanted to go see Dublin. 

And what can I say, it was all we had hoped for and more. Why? Because of reasons. The Luck of the Irish being just one of them.

1. Irish people are among the friendliest I've ever been in contact with. I know, it sounds cliché, but most people we encountered on our trip were happy-go-lucky people, who didn't take themselves or life too seriously. They helped whenever they could and had the greatest accent ever.

The Liffey at night

2. Our accomodation: we had a great hotel room looking out on the river Liffey, where staff was nice and the room cosy. And cheap. We even had a kettle and several Starbucks and Costa branches within walking distance. Well, to be completely honest, almost everything of interest was within walking distance. Check out the Clifton Court Hotel.

View from our hotel room

3. The Irish luck seems to be contagious; after a few hours, you start to get more relaxed as well, and notice that most things just work out, even if you don't stress them. Or maybe that's just why. You just trust that everything will work out for the best, and if not, then you deal with it when or rather if it doesn't. I was able to take some of that Irish chill back to Berlin and I'm feeling a lot better than before. 

Anyways, it is (almost) impossible to get stressed in Ireland. 

4. Nature. Everything is just incredibly green. Even in December. Trinity College and the park around St. Patrick's Cathedral were great representations of "the Emerald Isle".

St. Patrick's Cathedral

5. Guinness. Do I need to say more? Well, pub culture and Guinness seem to go hand in hand, and it's just an experience in itself to visit a real Irish pub. There's live music, happy people, red cheeks, and laughter all around. We headed to the Temple Bar pub and The Church, an old church that serves as a pub these days.

Temple Bar, probably one of the most photographed spots in the city

6. Nando's. I know, I know, you can find Nando's in London, too, but the staff were grand (and one of the waiters was named Taco), friendly, and it was our first Nando's experience. We love Nando's. And it's just across the street from The Church.

Quinoa salad at Nando's 

7. Boots. The drugstore. To make this one short: my friend and I are into British cosmetics. I for one have had to travel to London or Britain every other year, to get my favourite scrub, Soap & Glory's "The Breakfast Scrub". You get all or at least most British cosmetics in Ireland as well. And you don't have to change money, seeing that the Irish use the Euro. 

8. Sights. We only had two and a half days, so we had to leave out a few of the more time-intensive things in order to get a feel for the city and see the most important things, like the Georgian Doors, Oscar Wilde's birthhouse, Oscar Wilde's lounging memorial, the Ha'Penny Bridge, etc. Next time we vist, we have to see the Guinness Experience, maybe the inside of Trinity College's Old Library with the Book of Kells (which had an unexpected 10e entrance fee, after we read on the net that it is free...), the Writer's museum, etc. There's a bunch of writers hailing from Dublin. And if you've been there, you know why.

Oscar, lounging in style

9. You feel like you walked into a postcard most of the time. Or onto a movie set. It's just surrealistically beautiful.

movie set feeling because of all the details

Those last few weeks...

...have been quite busy and a little exhausting. Mind you, I'm far from complaining, but there have been so many firsts that I don't even know where my head's at right now. I haven't yet had the time to mentally or emotionally catch up to where we're going right now.  

Firstly, I moved to Berlin. And signed my work contract on the same day just to start working almost right away for four days straight. In a new job, new field. I'm now a proud member of the IKEA clan. But. I'm also working in gastronomy. How that's possible? Well, I'm working for IKEA Food, which entails everything from selling to cooking to actually serving the customers and working the cash register. The good thing is: it never gets boring. There's always new things to learn. But well, that means a whole lot of mental input. But it's fun. My work mates are great. And payment as well as the way IKEA takes care of its employees could not be better seeing that, on average, I work only three days a week.

Secondly, I've travelled to Amsterdam for the first time. Because I only work three shifts a week, I can travel quite freely without even being on vacation. My brother had his summer vacation and thus we decided to make the six hour train/nine hour bus trip to the capitol of the Netherlands. And it's been great. I fell in love with the relaxed atmosphere in the city and its Grachten and the red light district where everyone's just allowed to be themselves and do whatever they enjoy without judgement. Also, my brother was a great companion, keeping me from shopping too extensively, but making me see things I didn't necessarily know I wanted to see. I've rarely walked this much in spite of having a tram ticket. Emotionally, the Anne Frank Huis really got to me. It's strange what human beings do to others, sometimes. I can't understand it. And I don't want to. One of the things that stuck with me was the sentence: "Her would haves are our possibilities" and in keeping with that, I now try to help people whereever and whenever I can. Also, I feel like I ate myself through most of Amsterdam's food offerings. Macaroons? I tried everything that sounded good to my ears and taste buds. Pancakes? Tried them filled with egg and salmon, decked out with bacon, cheese and syrup, and with Nutella. Belgian waffles? Yes, with Nutella, with ice cream, and with ice cream and Nutella. I also tasted myself through a whole cheese shop, had some chocolate-hemp ice cream and strop waffles. Had some espresso though I ordered coffee. Ate some great Zwieback-biscuits. And I peed at a public toilet that had a great view over the whole city centre (sorry, if that's tmi, but it really impressed me). 

Back from Amsterdam, I had a day to prepare for the visit of my mother. Three days with her and my brother planning our US-trip for 2016. 

And this last week went into getting back into some kind of everyday life like I'm used to. I dragged my old gym buddy to my new gym to attend XpressDay and do the new Les Mills choreos with me. And now I got an old new gym buddy :) Then I tried CrossFit. And fell in love-hate with it. I was so sore for three days, it wasn't even funny. So yes, first CrossFit workout? Done and done. Afterwards I ran into my German MMA partner in crime from January, who convinced me to join her in Jiu Jitsu practice. I was totally done after CrossFit, but I said yes anyways. The DOMS was strong that week. And then I finally got back to BJJ practice and made a contract with Randori Pro. Oh, and at the same time I was asked if I wanted to compete at White Belt Challenge next Saturday. I said yes. So, first competition in Germany coming up, too. So much about my pondering of maybe really just doing this for my fitness and fun. 

Oh, and before I forget; before moving to Berlin I considered applying for a certain job at a certain firm. I thought, I'd know when the time is right, when it feels right. Yeah, turns out, life is what happens while you are busy making other plans: said firm asked for applications for said job on their facebook-page. No need to say, I've already sent in my application. 

So, does anyone understand why I could maybe need a moment to get to the surface and get a good glimpse at the situation that is my life? I feel like everything is just happening all the time and I'm playing it by ear, and mostly that's okay with me, I'm good at just winging it, but I might just need a moment to get my bearings right. Though I have to admit, if everything continues like that, I might just be okay with continuing like this.