At the crossroads of my life

Написать что-либо достойное, на русском, действительно отражающее мои мысли по поводу этой поездки, у меня уже нет и не будет душевных сил. Много было рассказано в лицах. Поэтому внизу отрывок на английском из письма моим заокеанским и европейским друзьям с большим кол-м фото.

Secret code name for the trip is 'An Affair to Remember'. I still feel strange after return b/c my head still thinks sometmes in dollars as currency, F as temperature, miles as distance, and gallons for petrol.

We've started with 3 days in Las Vegas thinking that it might be too long but in fact it was pretty good because jetlag does exist and easy-going start helped us a lot (at least we did such an excellent shopping in Las Vegas Outlet that Katie couldn't hear word "outlet' anymore). Las Vegas is certainly a place to see despite its young age, absence of great historic sights and 'sin city' reputation. Its fun to enter hotels and make pictures there as if its museum. It's fun to come to any table and watch how people play roulette with minimum 100$ counter having ten of counters in front of them. Buffets in hotels in Las Vegas are so cool that we did enjoy eating such a variety of food and simply trying this or that and then felt like dying b/c we were too full. But this was just a relaxed start.

We've rented huge red Buick Randevouz (I will never forget Katie driving this car & saying "Ok, lets turn a boat now" and turning wheel right) which we used for 1 day and gave back and took ToyotaHighlander it was more fast in response and didnt show us some scary messages like 'service engine required' in the beginning as Buick did.

Then was famous Route 66 which brought us to for 3 days to Williams in Arizona where I wanted to get married an American cowboy and become a rodeo girl (we've figured it out that it's my real nature which I try to hide with my Russian passport and German habits) but they convinced me to travel further and see if Native American guy can be a better choice.

A classic stop from Vegas to GS everybody is doing is famous Hoover Dam



There was also stunning Grand Canyon and hiking to the bottom of it under +40C. We didn't make more than 3 miles but views were breathtaking. GRAND CANYON IS "GRAND" if you can describe something so huge and amazing in size and landscape.

Then we moved further to Native Americans land and spend day in Gallup with a stop in P e t r i f i e d f o r e s t where we stayed in a historic motel, saw ice cave, continued with visiting Acoma Pueblo (real pueblo where Native Americans live), learned many interesting facts from Native Americans life (i.e they don't bury people, they plant them in cemetery and many others. Or that upon building a church every piece of wood was brough from the nearest wood located 10 miles away on shoulders of local men and if this particular piece of wood was dropped while carried, then men had to leave it and go for another one b/c it wasn't sacred any more).

Petrified Forest

Continuing the trip we drove to a place with such a character that strikes so deep to the heart with its adobe archiecture that you can't forget it forever - SANTA FE. We were living in apartment of my dream simply enjoying 2 nights there and breakfasts in balcony.

Then it has become more intense and we started drive back to Las Vegas from the north visiting Mexican Hat, Monument Valley (here we did self-drive tour and thanks God we had SUV otherwise it would be too harsh), Antelope Canyon (the most beautiful amongs narrow canyons but MUST guided tour to the canyon itself with a female tour-guide saying in Terminator's style 'I'll be back"& disappearing quite for some time is very challenging experience).

The most enjoyable point was Bryce Canyon (my favorite). We spent there 2 days and I could stay forever at view point just watching landscape and asking myself how this can exist..

The last was Zion NP where we spent half a day before return to Las Vegas to spend last night in the middle of the Strip in Flamingo hotel.

All in all we were in 5 states - Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado & Utah and the landscape was changing from desert to red and green mountains during these days as well as temperature was changing from 20 to 43 degrees while sunshine suddenly was changing to the strong rain due to monsoon.

Sometimes went to the top to experience some thing like Mesa Verde

and on the way from it towards Monument Valley we found oasis in +40 surrounding called Lake Powell.

I do wish we could spend a couple of days more in that are as it's unique combination of water and canyons.

We probably were the worst hikers in the world who tried to kill themselves 4 times mimimum but we didn't succeed and everybody returned back home in one piece (surprisingly b/c climbing red rock canyon in flip flops behind the sign 'hiking is not allowed beyond this point" is certainly not the best practice).
BUT WE DID IT and memories of this trip are forever in my heart.

I could write much more about it as it's a country of incredible things and road trip in the Southwest of the US consists of many stories but I finish it wishing everybody to experience it one day.

В Gellert Brasserie в Будапеште на 1й странице меню была такая вот мысль, которая нам всем показалась очень знакомой. Идея понравилась и запомнилась.собственно оно.

Once a famous philosophy professor began one of his lectures by bringing a jar and filling it with rocks of 50mm diameter. He showed it to the students and asked them if the jar was full. The students answered 'yes'. Then professor took a box full og pebble stones, and filled them in the jar as well. As these pieces were smaller, they filled up the space between the rocks. Showing the jar to the students, they meant again that the jar was full now. Afterwards the professor took another box full of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled the space between the rocks and stones.

The professor came to the point here by showing jar to the students. He said: "Please, note, this is exactly like your lives. The rocks are the important things, your family, friends, health and kids. If you loose everything else, your life is still liveable. The stones are those things that also count, like your work, home, and cars. Tha sand represents everything else, minor things.

If you fill in the sand first, you have not enough space for the important things any more. Therefore pay attention to the things that are fundamental to your happiness. Care about your family and friends, play with your children, maintain your health, do sports and see your doctor from time to time. Eat healthy, and take out your partner to dance. You still have time to work, clean up and receive guests. Pay attention to the rocks and stones, the things that are really important , first. Set priorities, the rest is just sand."

Later on, one of the students took the jar, which was believed full by the professor and the other students, and poured in a bottle of beer. The beer filled up the space between the sand cornes, and the jar has been filled up now really.
So, what is the consequence of the day after all?
No matter how busy you are, there is still enough space for a bottle of good beer!
(C) Gellert Brasserie Menu Newspaper October 2006 issue