IT'S A VACATION!

We had to remind ourselves of that yesterday and throw in some hours of relaxing and exercise. Perfect, because after a number of very cheap and basic motels we spent two nights in a very fancy spa hotel. Just what we needed! After a little bit of cross country skiing, swimming and hanging out in the hot tub or in front of the fire place, we felt as good as new. Again, merry Christmas everyone!

BRYCE CANYON

So far our favorite place was Bryce Canyon, where we spent Christmas. It's red sandstone formations are really much redder than these pictures can capture. It's beautiful! We spent hours looking at these views and had a hard time leaving this area. Merry Christmas, dear readers!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN ... AND AGAIN ... AND AGAIN

We didn't expect the driving part to be a major highlight of this trip - but that's because we didn't expect the scenery to be so gorgeous. Here are some snapshots taken from the many highways we've conquered.

Leaving Las Vegas




Entering St. George

Approaching the Bryce Canyon area

VEGAS, BABY!

On the way to Las Vegas, we stopped to admire the Hoover Dam (damn big!). We then checked into our "super subtle" hotel, which also housed a casino (duh!), a circus and an amusement park. In the evening it was time to explore the Strip, the center of kitsch and flashing lights.


Our hotel and around




Paris? Rome? Nope, Vegas!



Venice? No, the Venetian.


The famous fountain in front of the Bellagio - very pretty! (Imagine the water motions being accompanied by opera music.)

A GRAND PLACE TO START WITH

So here it is - our long awaited and (as we feel) well deserved Christmas trip. Planned solely and perfectly by Marko. Thank you!!!
After landing in Phoenix, our rental car company upgraded us to an embarrassingly large SUV. Luckily noone knows us here. A little uncomfortable, we headed to Flagstaff, a very pretty town and ski resort on the famous Route 66.




The next day we checked our first big highlight off the list: the Grand Canyon. Even though our hike was cut short by a snow storm, we managed to get an impression of the canyon's magnitude and beauty. We were, still are, very impressed by this "giant hole".

LOVE AND LIFE

Isn't it wonderful when people are in love, get married and have babies? So much going on in our beloved Dunstkreis. Congratulations, lovers, soon-to-be-married ones and young parents! Thank you for a lovely chat.