Valentinas Travels

The next day, I already had to say goodbye to my Cousin and her husband (two absolutely amazing hosts by the way!! ) and Boston. I took the bus which brought me back to New York City in 4 hours – or at least that’s how I had planned it. We got stuck in a terrible traffic jam and once in downtown Manhattan (2 hours delayed) the main roads were closed because of a variety of events. I got quite nervous because time was running and I knew that it would be difficult to reach my flight. So I already phoned the Swiss Airline (i would looove to know what People in the bus thought when I started talking in Swiss german!! :-)  ). Once outside the bus, the queue in front of the taxi stand was enormous and the man from the Airport bus company told me that the bus also needs 2 h to get to the airport under the current traffic Situation. Great! Now I had to decide: Should I just slow down, drink a coffee at times Square and take the plane home tomorrow? Or should I run as if my life depend...

Yes, I admit that I had written that I’m not a very adventurous person. That I prefer the organized peace and quiet. But sometimes my plans get quite upset...  For day 3 in Boston, I had booked a rental car to drive to Cape Cod, a peninsula southeast in Massachusetts. I was quite nervous when I went to the rental office to get the car – it was the first time that I drove an automatic car and I was quite afraid of the traffic in Boston city. At the counter the employee told me that my car has no GPS. I insisted that I need one so he had to upgrade me. I wisely had chosen the smallest cars of all, but when I saw the new one, I had a little shock. This car looked huge to me (for Americans, I guess it would have still been pure understatement). I don’t know if the man next to me noticed my scared face, but he then quietly explained me how everything works. After 5 minutes of installing myself in the car, trying to keep calm and encourage me) I started the engine and drove off. Luc...

My next stop during my 1-week-stay in the US (yes, I know, I’ll probably never compensate my ecological footprint again…) was Boston.  After a 4h-bus ride and quite a delay I arrived there by night. Leaving the bus terminal, I already felt  relaxed. It was much more quiet than NYC, everything seemed to be a bit slowed down. That was just what I needed after the impression overload in NYC. I took a taxi to the flat of my cousin and her husband and got a very warm welcome. The next day I started exploring Boston – and I wasn’t disappointed! I started the day with a coffee outside the Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall, observed the people and enjoyed the sun. What about a little chess game outside of Quincy Market?  Faneuil Hall Quincy Market I walked along the water front and then joined a “Freedom Trail Tour” which took me to all the historical sights in town. Quite impressive, Boston's history!  A street full of Irish pubs in dow...

After my first day in New York and the adventurous (and exhausting!) bridge-experience from the last day, I planned to take it easy the next day.  In the morning I visited the High Line , a park which was created on an old railroad spur that is no longer used. Up there you can take a wonderful walk - a green oasis surrounded by  skyscrapers and a great view of the statue of liberty. I regretted not to have brought my jogging shoes and to do like the people from New York City, just to take a little joggingtour and enjoy the view! Wouldn't this be perfect up there?  On the High Line What a view!  Well... I thought Mrs Liberty has to be in this blog too. Great view from the High Line and a great alternative to the always crowded Staten Island Ferry!  Very near to the High Line there is Chelsea Market , a big market hall with great shops and cool cafés. Here I could have easily spent half a day. Flower Shop at Chelsea Market The wea...

As a first "official" post, I would like to tell you about my short trip to the USA in spring this year.  My trip to New York & Boston actually started as an emergency solution. I had planned a trip to Scotland but noticed soon that all hotels were already fully booked. When it comes to travelling, I don’t give up so fast, so I started to look for cheap flights. That’s when New York came to my mind. How great I also have a wonderful cousin in Boston that I wanted to visit for a long time! So I booked the flight to New York and planned 2 days in the  city that never sleeps. Because I was there some years ago already, I skipped some tourist attractions and had time to test some insider tips. After a quiet flight, New York welcomed me with terrible weather – strong wind and rain. This didn’t impress me much and I tramped to the Brooklyn Bridge. This bridge had already impressed me on my first visit so I didn't mind the weather (well... at least not in the first ...