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!

Mount Rushmore, looks very interesting!

An example on how the Mount Rushmore is being used for parodies!

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! :)

Mount Rushmore, looks exciting!

Travel with joy, Ahmed and Kristina

Fun facts and souvenir, Grand Canyon!! :)

• 446 km long, 29 km wide and 1.83 km deep.
• 3000 different types of birds is found in Grand Canyon!
• The Grand Canyon was formed by erosion from the Colorado River.
• At the top of Grand Canyon you can find rocks that are 2 billion years old!!
• Took 3 to 6 million years to form!

As you can see, The Grand Canyon is a very special landmark!
Anyway, here is one of our souvenirs!

Indians and a little rafting in Grand Canyon!

We are saying hi from Grand Canyon! This region reminds us a little about New Mexico because it's hot here too. It was also cool to see some people that were working near the Grand Canyon dressed as Indians, because Indians used to live here.

After we've explored the amazing view from the Grand Canyon with our little tourist group, we decided to do something more exciting! So we took a little risk and went rafting and wow what a rush! On the picture you can see some of the other tourists that were there. We had so much fun, even though it seemed scary in the beginning!

When we got back to our hotel and took a little rest, we felt like we wanted to eat something. The food wasn't maybe as good as in other regions, but we survived!

Some facts about Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long and up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over one mile, so it is pretty big!
The Grand Canyon is contained with the Grand Canyon National Park which is one of the oldest national parks in the United States, established in 1919. In the Grand Canyon National Park you can find 1737 known species of plants. The Grand Canyon is also a home for dozens of endemic plants that can't be found anywere else in the world.
34 mammal species is found along the Colorado River corridor.
Grand Canyon is one of the world's most famous natural attractions, attracting about five million visitors each year! 83 % of the visitors were from the United States and 17 % were from outside the United States.
Now what can you do in The Grand Canyon then? There is many activities like casual sightseeing, rafting, hiking, running and helicopter tours is popular activities.
In October 2010 an ultramarathon was started in the North Rim. The Grand Canyon Ultra Marathon is a 126 km race over 24 hours! Sounds very tough..
If you want you can also board helicopters and small airplanes in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Grand Canyon National Park Airport for canyon flyovers!

Aerial view of the less visited lower Grand Canyon

Guano Point - a popular vantage point for tourists

Breakfast time!

On our way to our hotel near Grand Canyon we got hungry so we visited the Pine Country Restaurant to take some breakfast. After a long time looking at the menu we decided to eat something new and typical for the United States. So we chose oatmeal, which is ground oat groats or a porrige made from oats.

It wasn't the best thing we ever tasted but it was okay, it's important to taste new things too!

Oat meal is also very healthy, there has been increasing interest in oatmeal in recent years because of its health benefits.

Oatmeal with blueberries, very healthful and a pretty good breakfast!

Arizona, here we come!

We're now on our way to Arizona! We are very tired after exploring Hollywood, but it was worth it!
When we arrive to Arizona we're of course going to visit the world famous Grand Canyon which is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River.

Amazing view!

Before we leave Hollywood and California..

Before we leave Hollywood; some facts, history and a souvenir!

Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym for the American film and television industry. Today much of the movie industry has been spread into surrounding areas such as Burbank and the Westside, but most of the industries (such as editing, effects, props, post-production, and lighting companies) remain in Hollywood.

Many historic Hollywood theaters are used as venues to premiere major theatrical releases, and host the Academy Awards. It is a popular destination for nightlife and tourism, and home to the Walk of Fame that we visited.

When Spanish explorers first entered the area, Native Americans were already living in the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains. Before long, the Indians had been moved to missions and the land which Hollywood now occupies was divided in two by the Spanish Government.

By the 1870s an agricultural community flourished in the area and crops ranging from hay and grain to subtropical bananas and pineapples were thriving. Within a few years many wealthy Midwesterners bought lots in the Paved Prospect Avenue (now Hollywood Boulevard).

Other quick facts:

• Hollywood is 24.96 sq mi (64,6 km)
• Hollywood has millions of visitors every year from the whole world.

We bought some souvenirs as we always do (take a look at our past blog posts for more souvenirs!) and one of our favorites you can see on the photo. We will never forget Hollywood!

The Walk of Fame :D

Yes, as you can tell by the picture, we crossed the Walk of Fame in Hollywood today! This is a known place where famous celebrities are immortalized by having their names printed there.  We saw some famous names like for example Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe and the Swedish actress Greta Garbo. It’s a shame our names will never be there… But who knows??

When we had passed the day going around in the city and doing some shopping (you will be able to see the photos of what we bought soon), and when we’ve eaten we wanted to explore the city at night. Everyone on the street seemed so happy and it was a nice atmosphere. It’s a shame we’re gonna leave this city soon…

A normal day in Hollywood!

Night in Hollywood

Hollywood, before and after!

Hollywood is a fast growing city with spectacular buildings and places but how did the city look like back in time? This pictures are going to take us back to old Hollywood!

Hollywood Hotel, 1905.

The intersection of Hollywood and Highland, 1907

Hollywood in 1922!

The Nestor studio! Hollywoods first movie studio, 1912.

Hollywood today!

It's very exiting to see how the city developed and changed this past century! Amazing!

Fun facts and souvenir, Hollywood edition!

• Hollywood is the historical centre of movie studios and movie stars.
• About 130 000 people live here in Hollywood!
• Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles situated in the downtown of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the United States with a population of 3,8 million inhabitants.
• The first movie studio in Hollywood was built as early as 1912!
• In 1920 Hollywood became world - famous as the centre of the United States film industry.

Our lovely souvenirs from Hollywood!

Enjoying the sweet life…!

After visiting the amazing Kodak Theatre, we got hungry. So we went to another glamorous restaurant and this time we wanted to eat a little tacos because we hadn’t eaten it for a long time. I know we are wasting a lot of money on food, but it’s worth it! 

At The Beverly Hilton Circa 55 Restaurant!

In the evening, we felt that we wanted to explore the nightlife in Hollywood. We had looked up some places before this trip and we wanted to go to a popular nightclub called the Highlands Nightclub. It was crowded but it was still great!!

A cultural visit

When we arrived to Hollywood we decided to explore the culture. Someone told us about the Kodak Theatre and we thought it was a good place to visit.

The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. 

The theatre is quite modern since it opened in November 9, 2001. The theatre has been the home of the annual Oscars. Since 2002, the theatre was also the home of American Idol.

The theatre holds about 3400 people and the stage is one of the largest in the United States.

Many known celebrities have performed in the Kodak Theatre including Christina Aguillera, Céline Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Beyoncé Knowles.

The theatre has also hosted the Miss USA two times, in 2004 and 2007.

In August 2009, the theatre hosted the So You Think You Can Dance finale for the first time!

The Kodak Theatre exterior

The interior

California, here we come!

We’re finally in Hollywood! We have been longing to come here and maybe we will get to see a real celebrity. Follow us these days and see what we will be doing!

A little about The Sign:

It is 450 feet long, its gigantic letters are 45 feet high, and it's visible from all parts of Hollywood.

In 1932, during the Great Depression, one young actress, Peg Entwistle, even jumped to her death from the Sign's giant letter "H." Follow us these days and see what we will be doing!

Travel with joy, Ahmed and Kristina

Fun facts and souvenir

• Albuquerque is a very spanish inspired city! Almost 47 % of the inhabitants are hispanics
• Approximately 550 000 inhabitant
• The climate is usually very sunny and dry, we noticed the warm temperatures when we explored the city!
• The largest city in the state of New Mexico.

Our little souvenir!

¿Habla Español?

We got interested in Albuquerque mostly because it’s a multicultural city. Recognized as one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country, Albuquerque has a lot to offer in its architecture, artwork, cultural centers and cuisine. Lots of customs and traditions are to be seen every day. That makes Albuquerque an epicenter of authentic Southwestern culture. Albuquerque is also known because it’s home to many people of the Native American, Hispanic, Latino and Anglo cultures. In fact, more than 70 different ethnicities call Albuquerque home.

30th Annual End of Trail Wild West Jubilee

We decided just to stay here for a couple of days, so we wanted to use those days as good as possible. The first thing we did was to go to a festival called “The 30th Annual End of Trail Wild West Jubilee”. It’s a festival that is celebrated in this city every year, and it’s pretty much known, at least in New Mexico. It was exciting because it was inspired by the Wild Western! This was perfect because we now had the opportunity to see this city’s culture.

Cosmo Tapas:  Soba Noodles

The vineyard Casa Rondena

It’s clear that this city is very much inspired by Spanish culture and traditions. We went to a Spanish restaurant called Cosmo Tapas and we all ordered something that sounded interesting: Soba Noodles. It was tasteful and we could sense the Spanish touch. After the meal, we went to a vineyard to look around and taste some of their wines. The taste of the wines was different from the ones we are used to here, but it actually reminded us a little about Spanish wines.

Now, it’s time to leave this wonderful city. Too bad we couldn’t stay any longer. But we felt like before leaving this city, it’s good to listen to some Mexican music so that we could get one last feeling of Albuquerque!

Spanish history

We've been in Albuquerque, New Mexico for about an hour and now it's time for some history.

The city was named after by the provincial governor Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes in honor of Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, viceory of New Spain from 1653 to 1660. 

The city was founded in 1706 as the Spanish colonial outpost of Ranchos de Albuquerque.

The town of Alburquerque was built in the traditional Spanish village pattern: a central plaza surrounded by government buildings, homes, and a church. This central plaza area has been kept and is open to the public as a museum, cultural area, and center of commerce.
The city is also very important for hispanic people and is named after the spanish city with the same name!
The hispanic population reaches 47 %!

A spanish inspired building in Albuquerque

Visiting Albuquerque, New Mexico!

We're now in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a very, very spanish inspired town!
It's very easy to notice the spanish influence. Almost half of the inhabitants are hispanics and the buildings are very spanish inspired!
We are now very exited to explore this city but first some redt! BYE!

This lovely "spanish" city!

Fun facts and souvenir

• The capital of the United States
• The city is small with approximately 600 000 inhabitants.
• Named after George Washington, the first president of the United States
• The city was founded 1791

Our Washington souvenir

New York feelings...

Something about the culture in Washington that can be good to know:)

Washington has loads of history, but it’s also an important center for indie culture and music in the United States. The label Dischord Records, was one of the most crucial independent labels in the genesis of 1980s punk and eventually indie rock in the 1990s. Washington's indie label history also includes TeenBeat, Simple Machines, and ESL Music among others. 

Good to know about the United States capital city!

Washington city was chosen for the capital city by President George Washington. The city came under attack during the war of 1812.

The United States capital was originally located in Philadelphia. 

An Algonquian-speaking people known as the Nacotchtank inhabited the area of present-day Washington around the Anacostia River when the first Europeans arrived in the 17th century; however, Native American people had largely relocated from the area by the early 18th century. The Province of Maryland chartered Georgetown on the north bank of the Potomac River in 1751. The busy port town would be included within the new federal territory established nearly 40 years later. The City of Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1749, was also originally included within the District.

Beautiful landmarks in the capital city!

Today we decided to visit the famous United States Capitol! It’s sooo beautiful. It’s definitely one of the most special buildings in Washingon, because they don’t have any scysrapers. Which is very unusual for the U.S. The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., is a symbol of the American people and their government. The Capitol also houses an important collection of American art. It is a working office building as well as a tourist attraction visited by millions every year. Something that has to be visited when you are in Washington!

The lovely Capitolium!

Then we also got the chance to visit The Washington Monument! The view from up there was also amazing, you could see the whole little Washington!
The Washington Monument is one of the many famous images of Washington DC. The 550 feet high Egyptian obelisk, visible from almost anywhere in the city, stands opposite the White House in the National Mall.

The Washington Monument!

Later on, we stopped by to see The Lincoln Memorial . It is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. We got a great tour in the building.

Isn’t it just marvelous?

Last, but not least, we visited a museum; The National Museum of American History. They had a huge collection of different kinds of art and we learned a little more about the history of the U.S.

National Museum of American History

An exciting day in the heat of Washington!

Today we weren’t as tired as we were yesterday, so we could do much more. First we ate a little breakfast at the hotel and then we went out on new adventures! Today it was actually kind of hot here, about 84 degrees 

(Fahrenheit). The first place we visited today was the Pentagon!

A little photo of the Pentagon

The Pentagon is a symbol of the U.S military and has a lot of employees. It has five sides and that explains the name. On September 11, 2001, a plane was crashed into the western side of Pentagon and it killed 189 people.

A couple of hours later, we stayed to take a look at the FBI building. Maybe it’s not so popular in Sweden but it’s actually one of the best tourist attractions that Washington DC has to offer. We went on a your where we learned about FBI history and work against crime and terrorism and we also got to see some FBI scientists!

Wow, the FBI building! Sch, top secret…

Then we got hungry so we went to a fast food place called the Ben’s Chili Bowl. It was very tasty! We all ordered the same: A Turkey Burger. And then we realized it was getting late so we decided to go to the hotel and relax there the rest of the day.

Delicious Turkey Burger at the Ben’s Chili Bowl!