Today for the first time really I regret that I am traveling on my own. Even in Nashville, when being alone held me back from going into a bar in downtown, was not a big deal and I did go to a less crowded place midtown where I stayed.

Today, however, I needed someone there to dare me to actually go down to the beach and get my feed wet by the waves. In ten years time-just before my next big 0, I would have loved to look at a picture of me in die cold water at Carmel-by-the-sea. But as I was alone I chickened when it started to rain again and went back to my car to drive on...

The weather by now was become sooo bad. It is raining cats and dogs. It is pouring down like mad and on top of that it is getting windy. It is so bad that I actually stopped somewhere-not sure where I am. I'm hoping the weather calms down so I can continue... It is really like a cold shower on my dreams of a sunny convertible drive to L.A.... This is really not how I pictured my drive down the coastline.

On top of that I have no mobile connection. If I had I would check the weather forecast for the next hour...

4h later. My trip was basically stop and go for a while. In addition to the heavy rain, fog clouded the view further. I am sure the scenic route is indeed very scenic but I don't see much of it.

So that was my coast ride until the Hearst castle. There the sky finally cleared. Unfortunately I also got wifi at Hearst. Which meant I could check my mails. My Airbnb accommodation for Las Vegas cancelled my stay due to plumbing issues. So instead of enjoying this historic sight I panicked. I did look online but could not find anything on the spot. I reached out to Airbnb and they helped looking for a place. I've now a pending accommodation and I really hope that he accepts it because the other available spaces have rather bad reviews from dirty places to a heavy swell of cigarettes and weed.

I arrived at tonight's Airbnb and everything turned to the better from then onwards. Again the host is super sweet and I got water and biscuits as a welcome gift. As the weather was now nice, I went to the beach and walked for about 2h until the sunset. As are silt I have now like 50pictures of the sun setting and the surroundings in that specific light. I am going to spam you with these in this blog post.

While this was not a physically exhausting day, it was straining on my nerves and I went to bed extremely early.

And tomorrow everything will be awesome when I am heading down to L.A. You will hear from me before I leave to Vegas on the 3rd.

Until then: happy Halloween!!!

No worries it was not that bad at all...

Before I left SFO I quickly wanted to buy some water and some food for on the way. For that purpose I had to withdraw funds from my bank accounts. Imagine the fright I got when both my German and my Irish card were declined! I only had about 30$ left in my pockets. Worried I tried to think of all sorts of possible solutions: getting someone to give me money that I would send to them via PayPal, or send me money via western union, even begging would have been an option. Fortunately, as it turned out, the stupid atom was broken and I could withdraw funds right away. No begging for me.on that note, somewhere between Dallas and today I was lost my green cardigan. :( if it does not get warmer again, I will need to get a new one.

I left at 9.30 on my way to seaside using highway one. The plan was to cruise down the coast line in a cabriolet but with the weather it would not have taken long for me to drive around in a swimming pool. As a result the roof stayed. And because it was raining too much I did not stop as much as I had thought I would. I managed to get my yellow converse and the car pretty muddy regardless. At some stage after the pigeons lighthouse I had no internet connection and therefore no navigation to know what way I was going. Luckily I went the right way.

I arrived in seaside at 1pm. Obviously too early as my newest host were still getting the bed ready. I was glad they were there, because the key lock they had prepared for me to get the key was one like an old safe. I was supposed to turn the wheel 3 times to the right then one full hand to the left and then stop to the right again... I couldn't get that thing open....I probably would have after a while.

As it was early I left again right after dropping my stuff in the room. First I drove to the sea side because about 30min before arriving at the new Airbnb, it had stopped raining. So the roof came off and to the beach I went. I didn't stay too long though. I probably should have, to walk a bit more as it seems I have done no walking today.

Also the moment I am driving around in the sun the car topless i get pooped on by a fecking bird. Grrrrrr.

Well, instead of staying at the coast, I went to a shopping mall. And a Macy's. I know is not THE Macy but a Macy's is doing just fine. I almost bought a Calvin Klein dress in blue. I was thinking about altering it for Eurovision and then I thought: have you lost your mind, you wanna buy a CK dress (on sale for 35$) to stick glitter on it??? So I did not buy it. Instead I saw two beautiful bags by Betsy Johnson. Now a little fashion excursion for those of you who do not known her:

Betsy is one of the designers I love and that inspire me for her crazy, fun style and you gotta love her fashion shows. She is from the US and has been in the business for over 50years. If you have never seen a fashion show, have a look at hers.

Back to shoppers. I needed to decide... Because there was no way I was getting out of this store without a Betsy Johnson.
The first I saw was beige covered in crochet neon pink hearts. It had an extra purse in the same design with it for your cash or whatever you like. The handles were metal with neon yellow. It was 33$
The second was black and white with a pearl smiley on the front. It was 38$
Have a guess for which I went... You'll see a picture below.

I also went to a whole food store.. And without really buying anything I spend 40$...no idea how that happened. Well, the hot food I got was already 10 and the mangos added another 10. Some water and granola bars and 40$ easy gone.

Before I can tell you about San Francisco let me quickly update you my last hours in Dallas.

Everything went smoothly until I was at the gas station... With rentals I am used to have a sticker telling me what to put in the tank... So I actually had to ask the guy at the gas station... He just looked at me funny saying diesel is only for trucks... Then when I went back to fuel, my credit card wasn't accepted to I had to get back in again... I felt the need to apologize, so I said: it's my first time at an American gas station. The cashiers dry response was: I figured. Nothing more... ;)

I just saw the weather forecast for SFO and you gotta be kidding me. It is almost 10C colder and it is set to have showers throughout the day. So basically the moment I get a convertible to drive down the coast the weather takes a turn for the worse? I hope the forecast is wrong...

The flight is 3.5h but I arrive at 9.40am so another 2h I am getting behind DE time.

We will see how much I will pay this time for the car... I hope it is not much more than estimated...I want to have a bit of money to at least buy one thing as a souvenir from the US and I would like this to be converse. We will see.

I can't believe that I have already spend half of my time in the US... Time just flies like I arrived only this week and not over a week ago.

When I arrive at the car rental station the weather is indeed less sunny but no rain at that stage. This, however, will change later. In the meantime I got my car. The smallest convertible they have: a Ford Mustang. That is not a small car. But again it easy enough to navigate through the streets of SFO. Omg those streets are mad. While the highway from Oakland into SFO was similar to the ones in Dallas, the streets in town are ridiculously steep. My old cars probably would not have had the horse power to get up. It is like a roller coaster.

When I arrived at my newest Airbnb it finally started to rain. It was a sort of constant misty rain that led to some heavier showers until in the evening it was simply pouring. I looked it up online in October on average it is set to rain 4 days in SFO. Looks like the 4days are now.

Anyways, my new host is amazing. She greeted me outside and gave me a tour through the house that I can use as I please. I have my own (pink) bathroom and even the kitchen is only for me to use. She was stocked the fridge and collected vouchers from local restaurants and I have lemons from her own backyard. This woman has thought of everything... She even made a little name tag for my bag! She is just the cutest person you have ever met!

Having settled in I went for my first bit of sightseeing in the rain... And the first thing I noticed... Marijuana is legal. I hate the smell of it as it makes me nauseous and you can smell it in all parts of the city.

My first stop was the Golden Gate Bridge. Which I learned is nor red but international orange und got its name because the channel beneath the bridge was considered to be the golden gate for commerce with the world.

Because I had some time left before my trip to Alcatraz I wanted to go to the cable car museum. Unfortunately I got of the wrong bus stop and walked the wrong direction to I never made it where. Instead I walked for 30min arriving at the piers way too early for the 4pm boarding to Alcatraz. As is was raining I went inside of a fish'n'chips shop and had chips.

Now, on Alcatraz I did the "behind the scenes" tour. It was really interesting and I had some real enthusiasts on the tour who had to ask something on every part of the tour. We were shown various locations that are not open to the public including the led-painted, pitch black catacombs, in the early years it was prohibited to talk for example, so talkers would have been put down into those holes. All in all it is a pretty daunting place when you think about the violence that has happened on that island. The stories the rangers had to report about some inmates (that are not famous like scarface or birdman) are quite dark. But then again, you usually did not end up on the rock if you were a nice fellow.

Back on the mainland I got my first uber ride. 8$ only and I had a free ride up to22$, oh well.

I don't know why but my feet are killing me. Maybe they finally had enough of all the walking. I will see how I get on today.

First I wanted to go to ashbury/haight as my momma said I should go there. ( so mama, the pictures is for you). From there I took a bus into town. The bus dropped me off at the start of the embankment, which made me walk all the way along the piers until the Exploratorium. This is a museum I really wanted to go to. However, when I got in it was too crowded with children. I could hardly do anything. So it was not really enjoyable. But I did find one thing I liked there a lot:the graveyard. They had set up a graveyard for things like Pluto, as he died as a planet. Or the theory that there the is a place on your tongue for each specific taste.

When leaving I used one of those cute streetcars running through SFO (not cable cars) to get on the big bus hop on hop off tour.

After some problems and a wait of 30minutes we finally starting but without a live commentator. Though the weather did not really allow it I did decide to stay on the top deck of the bus to see the most. And it was wet and cold. Worst bit though was the trip over the golden gate... I made a short video and posted that on Twitter (https://mobile.twitter.com/Kate_Eleven/status/792193713405513728). Afterwards I decided not to do the night tour after all. While I am sure that this one would have been awesome I need to think of my health. Had I gone on the trip I would have my cough back in less than a week.

It was still a few hours till the evening and I got off the bus to go to the cable car museum (actually the sun showed its face around that time). I went off at Masons. Unfortunately the wrong end of Masons and I had to walk. Well climb is more accurate. There is a picture of me on top of that bloody hill. The museum was then on the bottom of the hill.

On my way I met a Dutch woman who is here for a week. I gave her my bus ticket as I had no further use for it and she might want to go on the night tour instead. Funny coincidence: when I met her I had my playlist running and "slow down" (Dutch ESC entry 2016) was playing

The cable car museum was small but interesting. This is the location from where all cables are powered. And I learned a lot about how cable cars work and the difference between cable cars (mechanical) and street cars (electrical).

I then wanted to get back to the pier once more and the best way to to that was to get on a cable car. So I did. It is a weird feeling when they go downhill. Typically me though I had gone the wrong way. This is when I decided to go back to haight where I had seen a vegan restaurant and then to go home.

On the bus to haight I witnessed something interesting too: a cyclist wanted to get on the bus. So he fixed his car to the outside front of the bus and got on the bus :)

At the Vegan Burg I had a Mustang relish burger and seaweed fried with homemade lemonade. Really delicious. So to all my vegan friends who read this: vegan burg on haight is really recommended should you ever be in SFO. (On that note, I have confirmation that the organizer of my birthday party has sourced vegan food from his neighbors and he will serve that separated for you guys)

Finally for the day I have done some vintage shopping and ended up in a store called loved after death -sooo creepy. I think the worst I saw was the cadaver of a real lamb in a glass. Bah. I ended up only buying 3 postcards (initially I wanted to send postcards from every city but as y'all know that did not happen) to send home... We will see who arrives first....

I need to consider souvenirs now. I don't have that much space but I sooo want to bring a few souvenirs... I don't know how yet... Maybe I figure something out.

Now wish me luck that I will have good weather tomorrow when I start my road trip to L.A. I might post something tomorrow evening or only in 3days one I am in L.A. depending on the wifi connections I get.
Peace, out ;)

The flight went smoothly and now I have a car! So no more walking. At least today... The car hire was really expensive. While I was only to pay 100$ online they now asked me to 217$. However this should include full cover but no gas. (With the rate I am spending my money it will take until next year before I can start working in fashion.)

I will try to get to the flight museum before it closes at 5. It will be tight as I will be landing shortly after 3. With baggage claim and transfer to the car hire terminal I might not get there before 4.30 but I am hoping for 4pm.

And I did. It was not as big as the one in Washington but had a lot about the history of southwest which is interesting for the fact that I am only flying southwest intra USA.

Even with a print out map I have already driven the wrong way a plenty. This is more intimidating than walking really.

Now I am doing the most important thing today.... Washing my laundry ;) I hope it turns out clean as I read some good and some nasty reviews online. The place is very Hispanic and without wifi. The area itself looks a bit dodgy so I am happy when I get out of here. The washing circle is 25min and then 30min drying. I know with this weather it would be better to just hang my laundry out to dry. But I don't have the option at the moment.

With clean clothes (yeay!) I continue my journey. Unsure about finding my way, the reunion tower geO deck was next. Without the fortunate invention of the gps and Google map I wouldn't have found the place but when I arrived, guess what happened...

The deck was closed for a private party... Was I annoyed? Yes I was. But as there is nothing I can do about it I drove to my newest accommodation. Again thank you google maps. When I arrived the host wasn't home. But he did leave a key for me. Unfortunately the key did not fit either of the two front doors. After trying 3-4 times I had the glorious idea to try the back door and I got in.

My room is hilarious. My first thought was: oh deer! :) You'll see the picture below. The beds are both very loud with every move but I am able to sleep okay regardless.

Because I could not get into the geO deck, I will try to fit it in again today. But what I am looking forward to most is the fashion show tonight. I hope my outfit qualifies for a black tie event even with bright yellow converse... I have received multiple compliments from them on the trip so far. But we will see.

OH MY GOSH I am sooooooo upset! Today was a lousy day on all accounts. Let me start with the small things.

After my charger cable had already been broken in New Orleans now the headphones broke too. So I still couldn't charge mamas' iPad but I could no longer listen to music.
When arriving in Dallas downtown I went to the farmers market as planned. They are set to open at 10am, but have a look at the pictures... I will try to label them so you understand what I mean.

So I walked back to the sixth floor museum. But I was not allowed to take pictures on the sixth floor...not sure why. Anyways during the tour I noticed that my allergy has finally caught up with me. Worst part is that usually it only affects my hands but this time my shoulders and neck are impacted too. So that will hurt when I have to carry my backpack again.

The next museum I walked to was the parot. In itself really interesting and I had a film included. I could choose between two and the more interesting one was 90min after my entry. So I pretty much rushed through the floors, thinking I can re-enter afterwards. As you can guess I couldn't. Makes no sense to me but that was that.

So this leads me to my biggest reason to be upset. (I learned about it in the Kennedy exhibit on the 7th floor where we could take picture) I had a missed can and then saw the mail from earlier today:

The fashion show is postponed to December 8th. But to make up for the inconvenience I can now see both shows at 5 and at 7.... Arrrrrrgggggghhhh. I wanted to see the fashion show! What else is going to happen in Dallas?

So far Dallas did not really make it on my "cities, I want to re-visit" list.

Anyways I then walked to the reunion tower and this time I was allowed to enter. I took a few pictures that also show that Dallas is not exactly what you would call a beautiful city. Also you get an idea about the motorways over here.... Not surprised that I drive the wrong way constantly. Just like on my way again to Walmart.

Yes, I was in a Walmart. I bought a new charger and earphones and carrots. Not necessarily something you would drive to Walmart for. Also, funny side fact... Dallas has an Aldi. It showed up on my search for a supermarket in downtown but I did not visit.

Back at the Airbnb when I finally thought this day is over the door bell rang and it knocked on the door. Naturally I did not open as I am here on my own. It turned out it was the neighbors who do not like the fact that I use a legal parking spot on the street in front of their house. To stay on good terms I actually had to move my rental... Unbelievable.

​Now, my flight is tomorrow at 8am. I will aim for 5am just to be safe. With my track record probably a good idea.

My first intercontinental flight in the US with southwest. Free drinks and peanuts ;) I like that. Just as much as little comments on the flight to make the usually rather dry instructions a bit more interesting.

We departed delayed because the crew was late. When I arrived in New Orleans I was sure I had missed my shuttle but they had kindly waited on me and another guest from Nashville. He however stayed at the Ritz... Something I will probably never be able to afford. Not that I need to.

It was a nice ride and really handy to be dropped off right at the apartment. There I was greeted very warmly with a cold bottle of water ;) the house is very clean incl. the bathroom and my room if perfect. While checking everything for the next day I noticed that I have lost my plan for New Orleans. Fortunately I have good friends that had initially planned to come along and had a copy (thank you Ana). I plugged in my iPad and went to bed.

The next morning I woke up at 6am (I don't think I'll ever learn- though it is 1pm in DE) to realize that my charger wasn't working. That meant my camera and notebook was only charged at 5%. Not much when you have a full days ahead of you.but it is not like I can change this so I got ready and left the house by 8am. I walked by a lot of nice places between the garden district where I am staying and the French district where the tour started. I did not take pictures for obvious reasons.

I arrived in German fashion waaaaaay to early. I took the time to reflect on an activity we had done at work: writing down things I enjoyed and things I did not like. I'm not going to go into detail but I don't like a lot of things... After 20min I decided to check if I can find a supermarket for food. By chance I actually found the same pharmacy that I had been to in New York and where I got these yummy mango/ strawberry slices. Basically it is fruit dried and pressed into a bar shape. They did not have the ones I previously got but I bought some regardless... Good investment ;)

Also I need to ask (to the universe probably): is it torturous for those poor horses in front of a carriage that takes up to 12 people? Is it cruel to spray their hooves in glitter? I believe so and wish I would do something about it. I don't really blame the horse riders but the tourists that actually take those tours.

Now the French quarterback walking tour was really interesting from the history of New Orleans, the swamps, the fires and why everything still looks like a Spanish small town. On the tour there was a couple from near Stuttgart who had been traveling the USA for 9month!!! They were able to take a year unpaid leave from work.. Respect. However they secretly left the tour shortly before it finished-probably to avoid tipping the tour guide.

Once finished I had to walk to the Spanish plaza for the steamboat tour (wasn't really a steamboat as I learnt afterwards- only the Nanchez(?) is a steamboat. The Creole Queen is only a replica) to the historical battlefield there the US defeated the British... There was a pirate on board who apparently is originally from Northern Ireland but I have no clue what his purpose was other than to annoy people (well me at least ;) ) the tour guide however-ex military as he pointed out- was actually a good storyteller but not as good on the facts as Stacey from the walking tour. However, he also later did a tour about Katrina. And while I am a very charming force of nature my similarly named friend Katrina not so much. Charles explained in a very interesting manner how Katrina destroyed New Orleans. Fun fact: the Choctaw (indigenous inhabitants of New Orleans) explained to the first colonies where to build their town so it will never be flooded. While New Orleans has been flooded multiple times, the French quarter (the original colony) itself was never flooded.... Trust the locals!
Also fun fact: New Orleans first settlers were all criminals and prostitutes.. After the French tricked the Germans into moving to New Orleans but they moved onwards to build Germantown...(it is a bit more complicated than that but as you see very interesting)

For the evening I was thinking about doing yet another tour, but at that time the only available tours were ghost and vampire tours. While I bet these tours are fun and really good, I chickened out. I am doing this trip on my own and I get spooked quite easily. I figured it is better not to know about all the stuff that is happening here while I'm in town. Especially as we are talking Anne rice not sparkly Edwards...

Now my low-light of the day: from the moment I arrived- in the shuttle, on the tour and on the boat I was told that I have to eat some creole food. So I tried to find a local shop to try the local cuisine. Now the problem is: New Orleans kitchen is known for fish, seafood and chicken or pork... Not good for a vegetarian. After 30min I actually went into a shop to ask for vegetarian options... I was literally asked to leave: I recommend you try somewhere else! Upset about this I went into a southern fast food restaurant to order only the side option so: Cajun fries and beans &rice...they did not understand what I want. It took 3people to get my order... We all know my English is not that bad!!! The fries were not good. But the beans and rice was delicious even from fast food... I need to look for a recipe for this when I'm back home.

Back at the Airbnb my host has given me his charger. So I am able to write a bit and get ready for tomorrow...

If you are following me through Facebook you might have seen it already, but I posted this video of an amazing young musician Ava Paige Davis, the shared my post and now it shows that I am getting old! She called me lady... Oh lord where art thou? :)

It is 5.30am and guess who is up? I am only writing this bit quickly before getting ready to leave for garden district. I get picked up at 11.30 so that gives me plenty of time to visit one graveyard- not the scary but hopefully beautiful as in New Orleans corpses cannot be buried underground.

It was not as impressive as I had thought but interesting to see regardless. Now it is 9am and I am all packed waiting on the bus to pick me up. This sucks as 2.5h are a long time but not long enough to go anywhere else...

If I had more time I would also visit the WW2 museum as this is supposedly extremely good.

I called the shuttle service to see if they had an earlier option but unfortunately they did not. So I am looking at the garbage across the road (and taken a picture too) and uploading this report.

Oh and I forgot to tell: now that I decided not to look for election campaigning I have seen more trumps than clintons. I took a picture of one house that to me was over the top. I have to tell you that I am astonished that New Orleans is pro trump given their history. They have so many races living together and the code noire is from here. When Katrina hit it was the international teams around that helped first not he US, and still they are promoting a racist idiot? Interesting how people tick.

So I did a greyhound trip. There was not much sleeping and damn was I worried that I was on the right bus every time that bus driver was opening his mouth... The bus said "Dallas" but I am not in Dallas for another3 nights... So I am just hoping that this bus is taking a looong detour to get to Dallas....and fortunately it did. I arrived at Nashville greyhound station at 8.30am.

Walking to the apartment (as I do) I was surprised at all the people on the street greeting me. "How you're doing?" one dude wanted to walk with me even :) I like the friendliness but where does it stop? This morning it was freezing (10C) and I actually had to get out my yellow coat... Only 30min to tonights accommodation and my first impression was :oh my god, I don't wanna stay here. Reason for that was that the host looked (really sorry about this as he is really nice) creepy and he had to shove the mess out of the way to let me into the apartment. I then was greeted by Halloween decorations and the hosts' partner- yes in that order. Afterwards I was introduced to a big fluffy dog (like from the never ending story) a kitten and a small dog. The big one I am already friends with ;)

Walking to the parthenon I really want to then take bus- yes a bus, to the Johnny cash museum. However at the Parthenon there is a little market with live music and some mid twenties playing football (American). As is has become warmer again, I am staying a bit longer enjoying music and view before moving onwards

I'm in downtown. I walked... And I don't like downtown. Like temple bar in Dublin really, It is so crowded and you cannot really enjoy the music as you can hear almost everywhere 2 playing at the same time. And then all those tourists - like me but talking. The fact that I am overly tiered and not really in the mood to go to an overcrowded bar to drink some water isn't helping.

By now I've been in the museum. Some cool stuff, some weird stuff and Johnny cash was a terrible actor. Glad his main profession was to be a singer. I have seen the Nashville Capitol and a few great graffiti. It is now 3pm (another hour back) that means I have been walking around way to much again. I am back in the park on a swinging bench surrounded by squirrels listening to some live music again. Those little fellows have lost all sense of danger and come humans awfully close.

While I am writing this I am worrying again about tomorrow. It will be my first flight between states. I'm not sure how early I need to arrive and I haven't checked in yet. Check out at my Airbnb is at 12pm I believe. My country hall of fame tour starts at 9 and the RCA Tour starts at 11.30 my flight is at 19.45. I'm hoping I can leave my luggage until 3pm and then walk to the bus station to the airport. Otherwise I would have to take my luggage with me at 8.15am to the tour.... That would suck...

When I was arriving home thinking that I would not see any live music I heard this girl outside my window and spontaneously went outside to drink a homemade lemonade while listening to the music. (Video posted on Facebook)

While I was sitting there I noticed that I did not use sunscreen this morning and might have the results to live with now... :( but I was asked today if I am from England! So the first country that comes to mind when hearing me talk in not a German speaking one! After 5 years of sounding Austrian I am at least English! Happy days.

Boy, this was a good night. I don't think I have moved even once during the night. The bed was so comfortable. If I would not have to leave at 8.15 I would sleep even longer. Best Night in the trip so far.

Also a small note on the site: they have a "European" toilet seat. That different countries have different toilet seats was no news to me but the American remind me of train/plane toilets rather than a proper toilet you would have at home...

I did not need to worry about my luggage- that is how great my hosts are. And music City Country Hall of Fame is Great. I came here by 9am and am only on the middle floor. I have to stop now to get to the RCA studio b tour at 11.30. But I will come back afterwards.

The RCA tour was only one hour but the tour guide knew everything about the Nashville music industry. Regardless of what question was asked. The group was all American but me which was not the case in other tours by a long shot. Did you know that music or tourism is not Nashville's biggest industry? Apparently it is mainly healthcare followed by some banking or insurance stuff...

Back at the museum there was a whole exhibit of Blake Shelton... His X factor appearance makes him way too popular.

Fun feeling when you pass by a gallery of 2015 biggest artist and you notice that you have seen them all live: Luke Bryan, Sam hunt, Chris Stapleton (one of my current favorite singers), little big town, Zac brown band... So missing for me to see are only lee Brice and Kenny Chesney and Shania twain... Though I am a bit surprised that all of these are considered to be the top country acts 2015... But if it's in a museum it must be true ;)

I picked up my stuff at 3 and walked downtown to catch the bus to the airport. Unfortunately I missed in by a minute. Now I had to wait 90 minutes on the next one. I thought about walking around but decided against it. Imagine missing that one too. Than I would actually get into trouble from a time point of view...

At the airport I will upload this, so I see you in New Orleans...

I won't continue with the campaign thingy... Way too boring ;) so unless I find something interesting to report about election I will not bring it up again.

I've arrived in D.C. It is 12noon so I am behind schedule. I had planned to visit the post museum first. However because they have no storage facility for my luggage, I decided to walk to the hostel first. According to maps the walk was about 45min. That alone should have been warning enough not to walk with my 15kg backpack. Then when asking for directions to confirm whether my map is right, the woman was a bit shocked: you wanna walk? That is at least 10 blocks!

I walked anyways. And it is sooo hot here... It was suppose to be around 20C but it is more like 30C. When I finally arrived I had only one wish: water!

Fortunately there was a supermarket around the corner where I bought 3bottles before walking to the spy museum. It is fascinating what people come up with to steal information from others. Though I am quite sure that today most is done in the deep web rather then on the streets. Highlight of the museum was the bond exhibition. Now I feel like I need to watch all bond movies again-even the Brosnan ones... Another funny detail in the museum: they have a bugged picture of Angela Merkel. I spend about 2.5h in the museum before walking to the aircraft and space museum.

I now have confirmation that I would have never ever been allowed to become a stewardess: too tall, too fat, too old, too crazy and no training as a nurse. I also witnessed this conversation in the space exhibition. Girlfriend (gf) and boyfriend (bf)
Gf: oh this is called Marie curie.
Bf: aha.
Gf: do you know who that is?
Bf: no
Gf: are you SERIOUS??? Marie curie was this well known Doctor...

Wait what? Not sure if this is a good description of m.c.
At 5.30 the museum closed and I had to leave. Actually a good time as the sun was about to set and gave me the opportunity to take some nice pictures. I then walked towards the Lincoln memorial and the White House on the way back to the hostel. Because it was already too dark the pictures of the White House are non existent.

At the hotel I decided: no more. No more walking! Seriously though: my feet burn, my legs hurt, my back aches. So during dinner (German flag tortilla -yes that's right black,red yellow tortilla with hummus) I decided that I would honor Bruno Mars' lazy song and not do anything. But as decisions go, you make them and you break them.

So waking up at 6am I stayed in (a less then comfortable) bed for 30min before showering and getting ready to leave. And then I - guess what- walked to union station, passed Union station to the Supreme Court and then the Capitol now sitting around the national mall.

And let me tell you: Washington could also be the city of joggers. It is unbelievable how many people you see running here. Fist I thought it is just the peak time after work, but I see people running at noon-sun shining brightly. No idea how they can do it.

Also I noticed that the police sirens are a bit weird. Usually they sound like they want to siren but don't quite get there.

Now i am taking the greyhound to Nashville at about 5pm and I really hope I can sleep on the bus as I will be arriving tomorrow at 8.30am. Until then I will make my way towards union station again, trying to relax a little as the sun starts to have its effect on me....

That was the plan at least. Instead I ended up in the post museum after all. It is awesome! My absolute favorite part was probably the secret post exhibition, where people send in postcards with their secrets... Anything from I steal flowers from graves to I cheated or I know she is not my daughter. A lot of them are really funny. Some of them pretty sinister. Overall I am glad I went.

Unfortunately at this rate I will not be able to walk in New Orleans the latest. While converse look pretty awesome they are not great for daily 5-10h walks because that is what I have been doing the past days...

Now I am finally on the greyhound but sleeping is no option for two reasons: 1. I need to change busses in Charlottesville, Virginia. 2. I have a very loud set of children in front of me. Hopefully I will get rest between Charlottesville and Nashville....

"So off to the USA for the first Time. Heading towards Dublin I experienced the first hickup when a passanger became sick and we hat to cancel taxi getting  back to the  parking position, getting rid of the passanger as well as his luggage. However I spend a wonderful day in Dublin before leaving for the US.
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The day started quite promising with an easy-going trip to the airport and a really handsome,tattooed emmigrations' officer. I would have taken a picture for you but I deemed it unfitting for the situation. Unfortunately for you this is not a novel and as such I will not describe the man in further detail. 

On the plane I was seated in seat c which I'd fortunately a aisle seat. But somehow this was not a promising flight. The entertainment was only mediocre and not really worth watching. It seems like I looked like I should eat less. The stewardess (some really beautiful accents) handed everyone a bag of pretzels excluding me.  Later when I asked for the vegetarian option. Now bearing in mind I booked this flight almost a year ago I do not remember if I ordered the veggi option but if there was an option I surely selected it considering that I have been vegetarian for a couple of years now. However, apparently my booking did not go through! So no veggi mean for me. In fairness the stewardess was kind enough to offer a crew dish that they had left. As stubborn as I am I refused that: if you think I did not order anything then feck off, I am not having anything. Well I actually phrased if more politely but got quite frustrated... Now starving (moron me) I was getting worried what else will go wrong on this trip. 4 more hours and I want to go back to bed... And it is sooooo cold! 

Let's hope things get better on the ground.

On the ground. Finally. I am in the US. No controls no check points I can go straight to the baggage claim and to the bus. Stupid me is waiting at the wrong end of the parking lot so that I am wasting 30min. But that is okay. I'm on the bus towards Manhattan. The driver is singing to the tunes on the radio and this American has no music in his blood. But he don't mind and I r.e.s.p.e.c.t him for that! In about 90min I should be able to pick up my New York pass. Which would be only 10min behind today's schedule... Happy days!

So I have my pass and the hostel. I walked through Central Park and went on a hop on hop off tour. I have to say I have a love/hate relationship with New York. I really enjoyed some parts of the town.

Now, after running through the Madame Tussaud's I am in the waitress.

Honestly, I am a bit disappointed in the performance. I would have expected more from Broadway. The staging is great but the ensemble is better than the main acts. I am really impressed with the best friends played by  Jenna Ushkowitz and Keala settle. Jessie mueller seems to be off her game tonight. Also Christopher Fitzgerald stole the show during "never getting rid of me".  Hoping for more from Drew gehling in the second act. 
The second act was better in regards to the performance and a bit intense, Jessie really moved me in her heartfelt solo ballad.
Not having seen the movie I was a bit surprised by the ending. But I am leaving with a good feeling.
It is now only 10.30pm (16.30 Berlin time) and I am shattered. I wanted to make it to the Empire State Building after the show but I just got to sleep. I did not make it to Rockefeller so my plan is down the drain anyways and I have to be at the ride office tomorrow at 7.30 so an early night might be what I need.

Waking up at 4am-some things don't change no matter where I am. Taking it slow and rescheduling my day I leave the hostel to get tickets for the ride. Madness: the box office opens at 9 but to get a ticket I was told to arrive at 7.30.

However, because the box office is in the garment district I was able to do a bit of window shopping in every fashion designers paradise: one fabric shop after trimmings shop after the other. A good thing: I have no room for anything in my baggage.

At Nina: in New York the calendars are quite on spot in regards to fire men. ;)

So today's plan includes the Empire State Building at night and a inside Broadway tour (16.00) and the ride at 19.00.

But before all of this I went to my air bnb. After the worries of the first night, I love my new room. And Ana used to be well known, still active fashion designer! Isn't this awesome? I would have loved to chat more with her but we both agreed that I'm only in nyc for such a short time that I need to get most of it. While Roosevelt island used to be am looney asylum (how fitting for me)it is now this nice neighborhood with a nice view of Manhattan.

My feet hurt massively and damn is the food expensive. Today I bought grapes (not as yummy as they looked) and spend 8$ on them... For dinner I decided to rest my feet at a restaurant. A salad and sweet potato fries cost 19$... In fairness the portions are massive.

I am glad I did the Rockefeller tour! Our guide was so funny and informative. It is a shame people left because the tour is English only. Now I have a bit of time and though I should not really spent more money I am considering to grab something to eat for the next walking tour.

Instead of the food I went for the downtown bus tour. However I had to cut that short and get on the metro to be in time for the Broadway walking tour. Filip, our guide himself is an actor/comedian and was simply awesome. I also realized that I HAVE to come back with a lot of money just so I can see more shows. I know, I was not too impressed with the performance in the first act of the waitress but still overall it was worth it.

Now all that is left is the ride, the Empire State and then I need to decide to either go to bed or see this comedy show "hot for teacher". This was recommended by Filip as an alternative to a Broadway show as I won't have the time for another 8pm show. Unfortunately I am quite exhausted and tomorrow I will need to get up at 5am.

The ride... The ride....what can I say? Make sure you do not sit right next to the entertainer! It was hilarious-no question about that. Follow the advice from the crew and do not believe what they are telling you because they lie ;) Also do the ride before any other tour. This is about entertainment not information and it is more fun to have the fun facts right before the actual history. The artists on the street, performing for the ride were really good too. Further recommendation: if you don't like ghosts and spirits- avoid a tour around Halloween ;)

I wish I could show you in a picture the view of the Empire State Building I had. Unfortunately no camera of mine can capture the deep red moon over the Chrysler building. I tried.  It was so beautiful. And cold... The temperature throughout the day was about 25-30'C. It was so hot that the ice skating place at Rockefeller was melting. Not on top of the Empire, it felt like the temperature had dropped 1F for every level we went up.

The next morning. Guess who was also a guest at Ana's place... Katharina from Cologne. Yes, that is right. It was her mothers gift for her graduation... And she too is going to D.C. this morning so we took the metro together. Katharina is taking the greyhound though.so I might her again Washington. After all...this world is way to small ;)

Also I wanted to do a election barometer. Counting any signs I see for either Clinton or Trump. Well, New York is cold: not much interest overall. But: Clinton 3 : 0 Trump. Even at the trump building I could not see any signs...

And that's that for NYC... Next stop: Washington D.C.

It has been 2 weeks since BAFW. Not much has happened. I am still happy about the fact that I bought a lovely jumper from Denim Project and some jewelery too:

Overall it was a great weekend and despite all the technical difficulties a wonderful experience worth every penny :)

Now, why I have to put fashion on hold (though it is never really on hold): I am finally due for my sabbatical. What that means, is that I will be travelling through the States for 3 weeks before coming back home to Dublin for a week an celebrating my next big 0.

With only a backpack I am worried, that I will not have everything with me that I will need. However, all you really need is a passport and a working credit card. But then again I am German (I refuse to wear the German Tourist Outfit though) and as a Stereotype I have a pretty detailled plan, including the Dalles Fashion Show and my very own treat: the Deluxe Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Hollywood :)

I will try to give updates whenever I can. At this stage I am not even sure if I will have internet...So hopefully I can use this blog as my travel diary or I see you in 5 weeks