Across the United States.
26 September 2018
Flying via Zurich to Kennedy Airport New York.
When we came out our guide was not there and when she came she told us that our bus was stuck in the traffic. We had to take the subway to our hotel.
27 September 2018
1. We passed the Dakota building where John Lennon lived and died. From there we entered Central park at the Strawberry Field memory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry_Fields_(memorial)
2. Walked down 5th Avenue and passed the Trump building. A short visit into the St. Patrick’s Cathedral. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Patrick%27s_Cathedral_(Manhattan) We ended in the Rockefeller center.
3. Sailing around Lower Manhattan and passed the statue of liberty. Sailed up East River to the UN building. Returned to our starting point at Hudson river.
Evening trip at Lower Manhattan. Walked through the financial district to the memorial of 9/11.
28 September 2018
We left New York with Frank Sinatra singing in the loudspeakers. First stop Philadelphia. The Declarations of Independence was signed in the Independence Hall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Hall The Liberty Bell was hanging in the bell tower. The original bell has got a big crack and is now hanging in its own museum in the neighborhood. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Bell There was an exhibition about Slavery on the open space before the Independence Hall. It was very appropriate since the slaves was forgotten at the time of the independence declaration.
Next stop Washington DC. During an evening tour we visited:
1. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial
2. The Martin Luther King jr. Memorial
3. The Second World War Memorial.
29 September 2018
All day in Washington DC. We started the day at the Arlington Cemetery.
1. The change of the guard at the Tomb of the unknown soldier.
2. The Kennedy family graves.
More monuments in sequence.
1. Vietnam War Memorial
2. Abraham Lincoln Memorial
3. Korean war Memorial
4. Franklin Roosevelt Memorial
5. South side of the White House
6. Boy Scouts Memorial
After lunch I saw the Museum for the American Indian. And then I was very tired.
30 September 2018
We drove from Washington to Niagara through Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York State. Overshadowed and finally rain. We are staying on the Canadian side. The bus company was late on the first day and they gave us a dinner as compensation. We ate at the Skylon Tower which has a rotating restaurant at the top.
1 October 2018
We were sailing in the morning downstream the Falls. Later we had a lunch break before we started driving away. We passed Southern Ontario to the border at Port Huron. From there we drove to Lansing the capital of Michigan.
2 October 2018
Drove through Michigan Indiana and Illinois to Chicago where we arrived at noon.
Round trip in the town:
1. Navy Pier with Greenhouse and Ferris wheel.
2. Buckingham fountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckingham_Fountain
3. Jay Pritzker Pavilion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Pritzker_Pavilion
4. Millennium Park with the Bean sculpture. https://theclare.com/chicago-bean-history-inside-story-behind-cloud-gate/
After lunch it was time to check-in at our Hotel
Late in the afternoon a group of us went down to see the Hancock building.
3 October 2018
Drove west through Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota to Sioux Falls. No sightseeing only driving all day
4 October 2018
Three stops in South Dakota.
1. Missouri River lookout and Visitor center. Here is a statue called “Dignity”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity_(statue) It imagines a female Indian. From here you can overlook the Missouri River and a bridge names after Lewis and Clark. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition
2. Badlands National Park. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badlands_National_Park
3. Mount Rushmore with the heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodor Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The sculpture was Gutzon Borglum whose ancestors were Danish.
We stayed in Rapid City.
5 October 2018
Drove into Wyoming and over a mountain range called Black Mountains. We ended in Cody a city named after William Cody better known as Buffalo Bill. There was snow in the mountain passes. Another long driving day.
6 October 2018
Today we were driving through two National Parks. First Yellowstone covered in snow and it was still coming. We saw plenty of buffaloes and few other animals for instance a coyote. Later the same day we passed through Grand Teton National Park known for its long mountain range with eternal snow on the top. We ended the day in Jackson hole.
7 October 2018
Drove through Wyoming and Idaho to Utah. We were following Snake River for a long time. Our goal was Salt Lake City where we should see the sacred places of the Mormons. Before arriving at the temple square, we visited Brigham Yong’s house (outside only) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young . Salt Lake Temple has only admission from baptized Mormons, but there is free admission to all other buildings at the Temple Square. In the north visitor center on the first floor is a huge statue of Christus. It is a copy. The original is in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen. It is made by Bertel Thorvaldsen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christus_(statue) Downstairs I found a picture made by Danish painter Carl Bloch.
The last stop was the parliament building of the state of Utah.
8 October 2018
Drove to Bryce Canyon also lying in Utah. We passed the Red Canyon before we entered the area. The rest of the day we went on a long hike along the edge. The peculiar columns are formed by the wind, melting water and rainwater. The is not a long river at the bottom as there is in Grand Canyon.
1. Start of the hike at Bryce Point.
2. First stop Inspiration Point.
3. Next stop Sunset Point.
4. Ending in Sunrise Point close to our hotel.
9 October 2018
From Bryce we drove the same way back and had a photo stop at the Red Canyon. The light was much better yesterday.
1. The dam over Colorado River at Lake Powell. We walked over the bridge to get a better view.
2. Grand Canyon. Photo stop at Marble Canyon Overview. Then a long hike along the edge.
3. After the hike we drove to our hotel.
10 October 2018
1. Helicopter flight over Grand Canyon. Fine weather for taking pictures.
2. Yes, it was my birthday. Surprise. When I came back to the bus the group sang “Happy Birthday” and I received a T-shirt. I responded with a song of Tom Lehrer.
3. We were driving along the historic route 66 and made a stop at the village Seligman. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_66
4. We passed the Hoover Dam over the Colorado River. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam
5. Arrived at Las Vegas and were installed at 13 floors. Apparently, they are not superstitious here.
11 October 2018
Free day in Las Vegas. I went around and took pictures and I bought some stuff. In the evening we had a dinner and a show. The sound of the show was so strong that it hurt. I had to plug my ears.
12 October 2018
Drove through the Mojave Desert to LA. We took a photo stop for taking pictures of Joshua trees. There was also a tarantula. Before we came to LA I saw for the first time reserved passing lanes marked “Car Pool”. It was the far-left lane and could only be used if there were to persons or more in the car.
1. Hollywood Boulevard. Free to take pictures of film star walk of fame tiles.
2. Drove through Beverly Hills and Sunset Boulevard.
3. La Brea Tar Pits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Brea_Tar_Pits
4. A very long drive to our hotel in Anaheim.
!3 October 2018
Round trip in LA.
Walt Disney Concert Hall is build by Frank Gehry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gehry It is the residence of the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. Just outside is Lilian Disney’s Rose Garden with a big rose sculpture.
1. El Pueblo is the oldest part of the town and dates to the Spanish (Mexican) time. Here were two attractions.
2. Union Station build 1939
3. The Avila Adobe. Det ældste hus i LA from 1818.
We left LA and drove to Kingsburg where we stayed for the night. In the evening we had a Pizza party and Elena our guide received gifts.
14 October 2018
Drove to Yosemite National Park where we saw:
1. Mariposa Grove with sequoia trees. The tallest had names like “Grizzly Giant” and “Bachelor and three Graces” (group of trees).
2. Yosemite Valley where we went around individually and where we had lunch.
3. Lower Yosemite falls which this time of the year are almost dry.
Left the National Park and made a stop at a shop called “The Fruit Barn” Here I took pictures of an almond tree with fruits.
We arrived late evening at San Francisco.
15 October 2018
1. We walked from the hotel to the City Hall and the Pioneer monument.
2. Drove through the town in our bus passing Chinatown, Financial District, the gay quarter Castro, The hippie quarter Haight Ashbury. We ended on top of Twin Peaks with a wonderful outlook over the town.
3. Drove through Golden Gate Park to the Bridge. Walked over the bridge in one hour and a quarter.
4. The bus picked us up on the other side and drove us to Pier 39. From there we sailed around Alcatraz. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Federal_Penitentiary and under the Golden Gate Bridge.
5. Free the rest of the day. In the evening we had farewell dinner, and it ended with a bus tour to Treasure Island where we could see the lights of the town.
16 October 2018
Our flight was leaving late afternoon, so we had half a day free. I had lunch at the other end of Fisherman’s Wharf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisherman%27s_Wharf,_San_Francisco . Then I found my way to Lombard Street (The crooked street) where I took pictures.
Started returning home.
17 October 2018
Flew to Copenhagen with stopover in Zurich.