Homeward Bound

And so, we're back in Phoenix, Arizona. Did not expect to like California as much as I did, so it was a very enjoyable trip, would not have minded staying there for a few more days.

After finally getting home to Phoenix , I've sat down and reflected a little bit over this trip to America. I have gotten to see more of America than I thought I'd get to see in my whole life this summer.
I have been to New York, Arizona, Nevada and California.
I have been to some of the most iconic places in all of America, Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, Hollywood and Phoenix, albeit not very iconic or famous, but it's a beautiful place nonetheless.

I feel really lucky to have been able to see, experience and do everything I've done this summer,
and I can easily cross off a lot of things off my bucket list.
Looking back at this trip to America as a whole, we really managed to do everything I wanted to do  here. Can't really think of anything else that I want to do here right now. Ofcourse there's alot more to America than just those places we visited, but hopefully this wont be my last visit.

This has not only been a trip that allowed me to visit and experience completely new environments and climates from those we have in Sweden, but it's also been a journey that allowed me to interact with people who speak English as a main language in person, and I think that I've really improved my social skills and language alot since I first came here. Can't really compare writing with someone on the internet and speaking to someone in person.

But it is alot to take in for just one summer, and I'm amazed that we managed to do everything we did.
Cant say I'm too keen on going  home, to be honest. Kinda starting to get used to the climate over here. Compared to this place, Sweden feels kinda bleak.

 Ohwell. There's no place like home, right?

                         (Fun fact , actually took this picture while we were flying over Iceland)

City of Angels

As i mentioned earlier, we came really prepared. We had all written down stuff we wanted to see and do, and one of those things was to go to Hollywood.
Getting to the Hollywood Boulevard and seeing the Walk of Fame was really fun, just think of all the famous actors and musicians which have been there. Seeing the iconic Hollywood sign was amazing, never thought I'd get to see it for myself. Its funny how big of an impact a single sign can have on you.

We also went to the tattoo studio L.A Ink, famous from the tv show with the same name, didn't think I'd get to see that either, and it was only about a 10 minute walk from the Hollywood Boulevard.

One of the things we did was  to go to Griffith Observatory, and I had no idea what kind of place that was. I just thought it was some boring observatory, why go there when you've got all of Los Angeles to explore?
It was probably one the best things we did here.
The observatory is located on top of  Mount Hollywood (they're really creative with their names here in America), and once you're up there you have this amazing view over all of Los Angeles, everything from downtown with the tall buildings, to the Hollywood sign on the hills.
People usually say that there's a lot of smog in LA which really limits the view, but I guess we got lucky, and got there on a good day, because the view was incredible.

And on top of seeing Hollywood, we also drove along the coast up to Santa Barbara, which is a really nice place. I'm really enjoying California, and I can totally see myself living here when I become rich and famous, which I totally will be in the near future.

California Dreamin'

And we're on the road again.
This time, our destination was Los Angeles, California.

One thing you (atleast I do, thats for sure) take for granted back home in Sweden, is how we always are so close to water, whether it's lakes or the sea.
And that is not really the case over here.

Alltough, there are a couple of lakes nearby here in Phoenix, one of them being Lake Pleasant, which really lives up to its name. It almost felt like the place was a mirage the first time we went there, just this huge lake in the middle of the desert.

 See that? That place is a paradise, I tell ya. One of the few places I actually really enjoyed swimming in. Lets be honest here, there is no human being in the world that enjoys swimming in the arctic, subzero waters of Sweden, even though it is summer. And if they say they do, they're lying.

Anyways, back to California.
After driving roughly 6 hours through the desert, getting to Los Angeles and seeing the Pacific Ocean was awesome. Watching everything get gradually greener is a nice feeling. Not that I dont like Arizona, but after being in the heat for so long, finally getting to Los Angeles was great.
 First thing we did when we got there was to go to Venice beach, you might recognize it with its iconic pier with the roller coasters on, or the outdoor gyms, where guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger used to go to. Walking along the beach was great. I actually recognized alot of the stuff there from various movies and such.
I could already tell that I like this place alot, and so far we've only been to one place.
The hotel we're staying at is located in Malibu, and the place is beautiful. I have done a lot of research on Los Angeles, so we've got a few places we'd like to go to tomorrow.
Anyways, catch ya later!

Back in Arizona

And we're back in Phoenix.

Forgot to mention that Las Vegas is located in the state Nevada. Not that many people outside of the US that knows that. Not that strange really, you never really hear about Nevada when people speak about Las Vegas. Lot of states to keep track of.
Driving back to Phoenix, it hit me how big this country is, and how different the climate can be in all of the states. Like the hot deserts down here in the south, while up north the climate isn't all that different from the one we have in Sweden. People who goes on vacations here doesn't even have to go to a foreign country for some change of weather, they can just go cross country!

There's a lot of stuff to do in Phoenix aswell, the only downside is the heat. We took a walk to the local mall today, and its about a ten minute walk from here. My mom was packing water bottles for the walk, and i laughed at her, saying that we hardly would need any water, the place was ten minutes from here!

I have never been so exhausted in my life.

If there is one thing I've learned from this, it is that I dont handle heat as good as I thought I did.
I can imagine that this city is wonderful in the winter, when the temperature isn't as high as it is now. The people who live here seems to be handle the heat with no problem at all, which is really surprising to me. You see people walking around with jeans and sweaters outside, not breaking a sweat.
Anyways, we've already started planning for our next trip, which will be the city of angels. So yeah, See ya!

Las Vegas pt.2

Heeywhaddup

So I guess I can start off with saying that Las Vegas is just crazy, never seen a place with more stuff going on all at once. Doesnt matter whether its day or night, theres a lot of people pretty much everywhere. Las Vegas has around 500 000 citizens, but I'd guess that there are a lot of tourists aswell.
Learned something really interesting aswell, the casinos dont have any clocks. Or windows.
Now that's some really smart thinking right there. Not knowing how much time that have passed since you started gambling, and not even a window to look through to see if the sun is still up.
So yeah, I kinda start understanding now how people are able to spend so much money on gambling, they really know how to attract tourists.

One thing we did was to walk down the strip. For those of you who dont know, the strip is a part of the street Las Vegas Boulevard, and is famous for all of its casinos and hotels. This is where all the famous hotels are located, where you get to see everything from Caesars Palace's marble pillars and the Paris Las Vegas replica of the Eiffel Tower. It is one of America's most distinctive and famous areas, and I feel really happy now that I've been there and seen it myself.
I know it sounds cheesy, but it is really one of those places where you cant really describe it with words, you have to be there yourself in order to experience all that is going on.
Guess I can cross that off my bucket list.

So far, this journey have been great. I have seen two of the most iconic places in America, and there is still so much more to come. 

Las Vegas

Whaaaatsup blogg!

Yeah, I know, I'm terrible at coming up with catchy opening phrases.

Anyways, we're finally here in Las Vegas, which feels completely surreal. We drove here from Phoenix, which took about 5 hours. Usually, I'm not a big fan of long car rides, but I quite enjoyed this one.
The scenery is amazing. The desert, the huge mountains off in the distance, all the cacti, and just this one road that goes on for miles. The vastness of the desert really gets you, and really makes you feel small. Really awesome to get to experience these environments which you wouldn't get to see in Sweden.

So after driving for hours, we finally got to Las Vegas, which was quite the view. After sitting in a car and seeing pretty much nothing, to all these awesome buildings (for those of you that dont know, a lot of casinos and hotels in Las Vegas have different themes to them, such as different parts of the world) which was really cool to see. Just like I said about New York earlier, this is one of those places you've seen on films so many times, and actually being here and recognizing buildings is awesome.

Las Vegas is just so much more than I expected it to be. Flashy neon signs on pretty much every building, street performers, the awesome architecture, and all the casinos. This place really feels alive. One thing that surprised me is that they are very strict with the rules in the casinos. You actually have to be 21 to gamble, and I thought you had to be 18. They barely allow you to be near the machines if you're not old enough. So anyways, I'll post more about it tomorrow, im really knackered.

Phoenician

Yes, yes, its an actual word.
"Phoenician - A native or resident of Phoenix, Arizona" - Wikipedia

The social differences between people in America and the Swedes are huge. I think we Swedes generally are a outgoing people, but we're not very good at showing it. It is something you dont really think of when you are in Sweden. Its not like people randomly start chatting you up, or ask how you are or how your day has been while shopping groceries in Sweden.
It felt kind of annyoing and weird at the beginning, people randomly asking you about stuff, but after a while you start to get used to it, and gets kinda nice.
 While I was doing a bit of research about Phoenix before I left Sweden, I came across several times that people in Phoenix are supposedly a very hospital and nice people, which seems to be correct. People just seem to be happy, you know? Kinda hard to explain, but I'm getting a really nice vibe from Phoenix, and I feel like I'm going to enjoy it here.

Telling people about Sweden here is hilarious. The general picture most teens seem to have about Sweden after you tell them that Sweden lies far up north in Europe is that we all ride to school and work on polar bears wearing our viking helmets, which to me is an awesome picture compared to the actual Sweden we live in.


And in a few days we are going to do a roadtrip to Las Vegas, which I'm really excited for, and I bet I'll have tons to write about the next time I'm blogging.