Grand American Tour

What a tour. We feel so lucky to be able to do such a once in a lifetime experience. Our Grand American Tour was so much more than an exploratory vacation. We learned so much about the country, the people, the history and the culture of this amazing country. While so many people outsides and even inside the US feel there is a lack of culture – we realized that this is such a culture rich country with such an outstanding diversity that we are truly overwhelmed with impressions and thoughts. We returned with a very different understanding of the US’s economic development, it’s geopolitical diversity, it’s racial issues, it’s richness and its strategic challenges from a global perspective, being only 5% of the world population. How ever this is still the land of opportunities – and the most beautiful in the world.

Monday 10/16 After enjoying the Ocean Blvd a bid more we take I-5 and head home to the Bay Area. It feels like there are more fields of cotton, tomato, wine, pistachios… - and much more beef then ever. A descending airplane reminds us to stop by Harry’s Ranch and buy some way too expensive meat – but isn’t it part of it? While gas pricing is continuously rising we recognize we are close to home. We did a bid over 10,000 miles, shot over 2,800 photos in a bid more than 6 weeks during the greatest vacation in our entire lives. Home sweet home – it is so great to be home again.

Sunday 10/15 We go back onto I-10 and continue till the very end in Santa Monica, CA. Phoenix is growing like no other town. It takes roughly 20 miles until no more homes are being build and the desert begins. We drive through an almost endless desert till we reach California. Almost instantly the scenery changes and becomes green. We arrive the outer suburbs of Los Angeles and it takes us about 2 hours to cross L.A. until we arrive in Santa Monica. Ocean Blvd. is like Cannes in France. Most of the Ocean facing hotels are booked. We are lucky and get a room in contemporary Shangri La – with Ocean View in the 5th floor. It is simply beautiful.