söndag 3 april 2011

Conclusion

Unfortunately, we are back home in Sweden again. This road trip has been outstanding. Therefore, we are surely going to visit the United States in the future! This country has many different places to visit and a wide selection of nationalities. Sometimes it does not feel like we are in the U.S., it feels like another country. For example the New Mexico where it lives mostly people of Hispanic roots. There is nothing specific to visit when you are on a vacation in the United States, there is something for everyone! If you prefer the countryside you could perhaps pay a visit to Texas for instance. For the one that enjoys night life and pure entertainment there are many cities that offer this, such as New York and Los Angeles!

Consequently, the United States are to be recommended for everyone to visit once in their lives. It is a very diverse country because every state has its own special qualities! But, if we would pick out our favourite state besides New York it would be New Mexico. The reason why we chose this state is because of the rich history and culture. It is a city with beautiful structure and many places to explore. It felt like we were in Spain but simultaneously we could also feel the American presence. 

In addition, we of course loved New York! But we chose to pick a different state as our favourite state besides New York because New York is overrated and typical for the United States. The first thing many people think about when someone names the United States is New York. On top of this, is it really correct to see New Mexico as a favourite state? This state is American but the food, culture, history and even the most of the people that live there are of Hispanic origin.

On the contrary, the road trip was excellent but it remains some disadvantages. Some of these are depending on high prices, crowded areas, high temperatures and some peoples’ bad behaviour. The United States is a very big country with a high population and on top of this many tourists. That is something we are not used to. The climate in some areas was very hot, such as New Mexico, South Dakota and California. The flora and fauna in South Dakota reminds a lot about the flora and fauna in the deserts. Cities like New York and Washington had similar climate as Sweden, all these cities have a temperate climate.
If we had the opportunity to return to this magnificent country we would be more aware of some things. For example we would really want to focus on several cities that are more important for the United States than others, instead of going on a long road trip. We really wanted to explore Washington more. After all, it is the capital city of the U.S. We did not find the time to explore some cities that well because we only were there for only a day. 

torsdag 31 mars 2011

Ooh, lovely road trip, won't you last forever?

Now we're leaving Rapid City to continue to Minneapolis where we're going to take the flight back to Sweden. We've had an amazing time that we'll never forget in our whole lives!
After this amazing and relaxing road trip we're going back to reality again. It's of course very sad to leave this amazing country but we're also looking forward to see our family and friends again!
But make sure that we're going to visit the United States many times in the future!




Travel with joy, Ahmed and Kristina

Fun facts and souvenir, Rapid City and Mount Rushmore!

  • Rapid City is the second largest city in the United States but has only 68 000 inhabitants.
  • The city was founded in 1876.
  • The city features a steppe climate.
  • The Mount Rushmore have an area of about 5,17 square kilometers.
  • The Mount Rushmore was never fully completed. In October 1941, the carving of the final design stopped due to insufficent fundings.
  • The Mount Rushmore attracts many visitors over the week of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Our souvenir from Rapid City!

Our lovely Mount Rushmore souvenir!
Looking forward to sleep on it! ;)

Just slowing it down in ”Fast city”!

The Prairie Edge Gallery in Rapid City. Not only has this city the Mount
Rushmore to offer, it does also hold a lot of art and culture!


The public discovery of gold in 1874 by the Custer Expedition brought a mass influx of settlers into the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Although the Black Hills became a popular tourist destination some years later, it was mostly the popularity of the automobile and construction of improved highways that brought tourists to the Black Hills in large numbers after World War I. Tourists continued to visit the city throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Besides the loads of historical and natural wonders, Rapid City has a number of beautiful museums and art galleries. So, this city is perfect for vacation and has a lot to offer! Two of the most remarkable homes of art in Rapid City are The Prairie Edge Gallery and The Art Alley Gallery. In fact, we went to an exhibition at The Prairie Edge Art Gallery because of its wide collection of both Native American and local art.

A photo found on Google that we thought was a little funny!!

Gutzon Borglum, already a famous sculptor, began the work on Mount Rushmore in 1927 and his son continued the carving of the presidents' faces in rock after his father died in 1941. The massive sculpture was completed the same year. The visitors increased because of this. 

Four important men for the United States

Mount Rushmore! Finally here! This sculpture is amazing and big to! Many people maybe wonder who these four men carved in this mountain are. Well, it's George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincolm, four very important men in the United States history!
Due to its fame as a monument, Mount Rushmore is frequently discussed in media, film and popular culture. 
The large carved faces has also became a target for parodies and other symvolic alterations. It's for example very popular to replace the faces of the four presidents with other people or characters, or the addition of another face. 
The flora and fauna of Mount Rushmore is similar to the rest of the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Here we can find birds like turkey vulture and bald eagle. Other animals include mouses, chipmunks, squirrels and many others. Futhermore, several species of frogs and snakes can be found here!
Well, the flora and fauna of this region may be interesting but that's not what we came for!
Now we're going back to Rapid City for some rest, soon we're off to Sweden again. It's very miserable, we want to stay here forever!

File:Dean Franklin - 06.04.03 Mount Rushmore Monument (by-sa)-3 new.jpg
Mount Rushmore, looks very interesting!
An example on how the Mount Rushmore is being used for parodies!
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Bald eagle, a common bird in the regions of Mount Rushmore!
Looking gooood!

Food, food and food!

Finally in Rapid City, South Dakota, the last stop in our journey unfortunately..
As usual we got hungry after a long time driving the car so we decided to visit a restaurant and eat something before we go out and explore this city!
We decided to visit Firehouse Brewing Co, a restaurant offering many dishes. For example they have soups, salads, steaks, burgers, sandwiches, desserts, beverages, mexican food, italian food and different wine varieties.
For dinner we ate Chicken Fried Steak, a very typical dish in the south regions of the United States. The chicken was served with mashed potatoes and vegetables, delicious!
For dessert we decided to taste a real american cheesecake. Cheesecakes is very popular in the United States and there are many different recipes depending on the region in which the cake was baked. 

Mmm, yummy!!
Cheesecake with strawberries, very delicious!

Next stop, South Dakota!!

Now it's time to visit our 8:th and last state.. We've had a very good time here in The United States and it's going to be very hard to forget this experience.
Now we are on our way to Rapid City, the second largest city in the United States situated in South Dakota!
Our first stop here in South Dakota is of course Mount Rushmore, be sure to check out our coming posts! :)


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Mount Rushmore, looks exciting!
Travel with joy, Ahmed and Kristina