Praise the Lord Oklahoma-style

As you guys might remember I was going to a Christian church today for a 9am service just before my bus out of town. This was to experience some of the religion in the Bible Belt, and it was a lot livelier than I'd imagined - but just as naive. First of all, the church wasn't even a church. It was an abandoned room taken over by Christians. The benches were replaced with normal chairs and instead of a podium there was a stage with instruments and a microphone. This made me a little suspicious and rightfully so: for the first thirty minutes I had to endure the worst Christian pop-rock about how the savior came down to earth and how He was going to save us and bla bla bla. And get this: there was a screen above them so the Church-goers could sing along, karaoke-style. When I even saw that one of the dudes has a shirt that said "Satan is a liar!" and that the crowd actually did sing along, it was difficult for me not to roll my eyes and pray that this would be over soon (pun totally intended). Unfortunately we had to go through an hour-long sermon after that by a preacher who wanted us to shake hands a lot and explained the story of David and Goliath using many weird pop-cultural references. At 10:20am it was over (praise the lord!) leaving me to say goodbye to Penelope and Loren who'd taken me to the service, and get on the bus to Little Rock.

So now I'm here in Little Rock that seems to be a pretty cozy little town right off the bat. I took a short look at the high school that I'm going to tomorrow and it's huge. Like HUGE! But at least now I can find it...

Roller Derby

Just got home from Roller Derby and can positively say that it might be the only sport that has ever interested me - I even know the (very simple) rules by now! Hell, for a second I even felt like a native Oklahoman (is that what they're called) as the local team fought against the (much better) L.A. girls. Ok, this might not make a whole lot of sense to you, but basically I went to see a bunch of girls rollerskate tonight and it rocked my whole world. Oklahoma City is hereby cool. "A sport of contrasts" what was Loren called it and he's right. Roller Derby is definitely a sport of contrasts. Honestly it's just as much about the personality of the skaters as it is about the sport. I mean, the rules are so simple that there needs to be something else to it.

As you probably guessed I went there with Penelope and Loren, who took me to see the bombing site afterward. I'm so glad I got to go there at night, because it was so beautiful with all the lights on. It was definitely a lot more impressive than the rather bland memorial to Kennedy in Dallas. That is for sure.

Now I'm back after having finally been to an Irish bar with my two comrades to stuff our faces with French fries. So good! But I should probably go to sleep now. I have to get up early in the morning: Little Rock awaits!

Oklahoma City

I'm in Oklahoma City and it's better than what everyone says. And here's why: you got to know where the things are around here. Luckily, I've stumbled upon some people who do know and yesterday I had such a good evening because of them. There are four people: Christine and Jacob, Penelope and Loren. Yesterday we went out for dinner first at a place called Iguana - this place even had a party bus that went to all the parties in Oklahoma City. Something I didn't completely understand since it was a normal restaurant. Ok, so it was on the hip side, but having a party bus attached to it is a bit much. After this we went to this place called Cuppies and Jo's which was a normal house that was turned into a cupcake place. According to Christine there were a lot of cupcake places all over town, so they must really like their cakes here in Oklahoma. Finally, we ended the night in a bar inside a dome, where the drinks were terribly expensive but also terribly good, so it all evened out.

So in the morning I had the best French toast in the history of Oklahoma (and maybe even man) and then went on to Bricktown to see what that was all about. Well, it's not about much, let me tell you that. Thankfully, I had learned from my four local friends the night before that I only had to go down Western and then make a right at 30th street to get to the Art District of the city. Pretty good decision right there. Even though the art district isn't huge, it was still cozy and on a summer's day (which it is today, weather-wise) it was a good day for that.

Further down Western is the "cool" part of Oklahoma City and it was actually the best part I've seen so far. Again, not huge, but trendy enough to have some good coffee houses and shops and so on. I must say I've enjoyed myself so far.

And tomorrow I might go to a church before hitting the bus. I kind of want to see this Christianity for myself.

Oklahoma City

Last time I wrote here, I was still in Austin, but that's no longer the case. I hit Dallas for one night and now I'm here in Oklahoma City to have a blast and spark some happenings! Or something like that... Unfortunately I also wrote you a long, long entry that I can now not get on any computer than my own, so in short I will tell you that because of some freedom-loving Greenpeace boys (one of which was the spitting image of Julian Casablancas - something that really fascinated me) I am now a member of that organization as well. It made sense at the time. It still does actually, especially since the weather in this country is really freaking me out!

I also did eat at that place, Guero's at the end, but it wasn't the experience I thought it'd be. Just wasn't divey enough, I guess.

But when I left Austin I was sad. That place really did get to me.

But now I'm in Oklahoma, and it really is a state of cattle. When I was sitting on the bus here I saw a bunch of, you guessed it, cattle being transported and I really felt like I was, wait, you guessed it again, Oklahoma. Let's see what this place has to offer now...

Nadia

Austin # 2

It’s been a while since we’ve spoken (or written), and I have many things to tell you. Last time I had just been to the University of Austin, and now I’m soon to leave. This fills me with great anguish.

Let me first tell you of the stores they have in this city. The best ones are on “my” street, and there are especially two that have gotten my interest. The first one is a candy store. This might not be of any interest to you, but wait till you see this one. It’s old-fashioned and it feels like the fifties have come back with a vengeance when you’re there. It really is a fascinating place. I even got to take a picture in there, because it is indescribable. So is the second store, but that’s not because it’s cool, but because it is so very, very creepy. Consider the Leatherhead family from Texas Chainsaw getting their own store. Then you can imagine this one. It’s got cut-off animal heads on the walls and dirty bottles for sale. In this store, named “Uncommon Objects” (damn right they’re uncommon), there are dolls with no heads and old, old furniture that could use some dusting. It really is a scary place!

The women here, it seems, are also having some troubles with their men. Monday night I didn’t sleep until late because I just had to listen in on a conversation in the other room (that walls are very thin here). Two female friends were talking about the man to one of them. They said things like “huge fight” and “such an idiot” and “you know what he said?” and so on. But this is nothing like the next morning, when I was awakened by an angry woman’s voice in the other room screaming “you just don’t understand!” Of course I had to figure out what that was all about, but it wasn’t difficult because this conversation was LOUD. This girl was obviously on the phone with her boyfriend. Apparently this is the story: Late last night she drove Sybill home. The boyfriend doesn’t approve of Sybill, but the girlfriend thinks she is “so full of life”. However, Sybill is no longer full of life and is now an overweight alcoholic. I don’t exactly know how, but somehow the boyfriend got quite upset about this whole driving-home business and sent the girlfriend some angry texts. The same texts they were now discussing. She called him a jerk a lot and cried. Those women sure don’t have it easy here.

It was snowing all Tuesday. Actually the weather was so awful which is unexplainable, since it was downright summer when I got here. Not very satisfying. This resulted in me writing a lot of Freckles in a coffee shop downtown. I was determined to see the Texas State Capitol Building though, and hurried over there to see the pink-granite building that is a sight for sore eyes, as they say. And it is. The coolest thing about it though, is all the photographers that seem to be around it taking their pictures. When I came home I saw that my neighbour had a do-not-disturb-sign on her door, and I felt a little bad for her.

In the evening I ate at a place called Woodland that played great country music and had the whole diner/restaurant thing going on. I’m still too afraid to go into the local eating dive, Güero’s, but I think today will be the day where I finally get myself together and just go! After this I again walked downtown. Now the weather had become much better, and it was no longer snowing. Good. I walked to the legendary 6th Street and into the Alamo Drafthouse where they had a showing of the old Craven horror-flick The Hills Have Eyes; a totally sold-out showing and I’m just happy that I bought my ticket on the first day here. It was a pretty awesome showing with people who’d seen the film as many times as me. It was like the delta sorority in Animal House, and it was just plain great. Actually the Alamo itself might be one of the coolest cinemas around in the entire US. They have a single showing of a premiere film and everything else is just kitsch, camp, cult and so on. But not only is it a cinema, but it’s also a drafthouse (hence the name) and a restaurant of the more suspicious kind. I loved it from the first time I saw it. And since it was placed directly on E 6th St it was even be an experience to walk down to it. Let me tell you guys about E 6th St. It’s a good place. It’s not the best that Austin has to offer, but it’s a concept within itself. The entire street is based in dives, bars, and downright sleazy stores. Oh, and then the visitor centre is there, too. Every night that place is a party filled with beer and country music. And then if you walk back up to Congress Ave it’s like it was never there. I think that’s amazing. So basically: if you want to get drunk in Austin, head for the 6th. And still, it’s nowhere near scary. It’s nothing like walking down Gothersgade in Copenhagen is starting to be; no, here it is all cozy and somewhat safe. And actually Austin is pretty much like that. Cool and safe. There are no threats in the air here, not even after midnight. It’s all good.

Anyway, when I got back to the motel I wasn’t tired, so I sat for an hour or so in a diner, drinking a cup of coffee, writing Freckles, until I finally went to bed at 1:30am. Pretty good evening and night, if you ask me.

And now it’s Wednesday. Tomorrow I have to get back to Dallas as a stop on the way to Oklahoma. Blows. I really wish I could stay here. I am beginning to really love Austin, and I wish I could just go here whenever. But enough of that now; I just went on a hike near the lake that divides the SoCo area and downtown. They have a hiking trail there and it’s a beautiful walk down the river where you can look up on both sides of the city. For half a mile or so I was even followed by a squirrel.

That’s all for now. Take care, all.

University in Austin

Hey everyone,

Just want to let you all know that I won't be posting here for the next couple of days... I gotta pay for the Internet here, you know! But I already have new things to tell you like;

I got into an American university today and it was incredible. It was the University of Texas, Austin or something like that and outside it looked like any university. Just bigger and with their own huge football field. Inside though it was deeply fascinating. There were posters of sororities you just had to join (all called something like Alpha Kappa Phi etc.) and there were dudes with signs saying that everyone should vote for them as the president for something at the next university election. Nobody paid much attention to them though. I almost asked one if I could take apicture, but decided not to in the end. He was standing next to a lot of competitors for the presidential title, and my request might have made him somewhat unpopular. Can't have that.

And then there were every kind of food chain in there as well. I mean, you apparently can't have an American university without a Wendy's and a Starbucks. But I did love it a little bit, and I did shallow all shame and took many pictures. It was just too good not to.

But anyway, I won't be here for a little while. Until then,

bye

Austin

I'm in Austin and not only is it 24 degrees in celcius here, but it's also the coolest place in the state of Texas. It's gotta be! Seriously, you are so missing out if you don't get here once in your life.

So I already love Austin and I also love being out of Dallas - for now. When I had to get a ticket at the Greyhound station, I was "serviced" by the fattest woman I've seen so far. And she was grumpy, too. When she saw me, she only looked and said "yeah?" with a heavy sigh following. I told her I was going to Austin, and she typed something into her computer. This took about forever, but I was patient and waited the five minutes or so. In that time she managed to sigh heavily every time she took a breath and when I looked at her she was doing all these strange grimaces, like she wanted me to know how much she hated her job. Anyway, suddenly she got up from her chair and decided to leave me and the line that was forming behind. No explanation, nothing. Just her leaving the post. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Until she came back. She looked at me and said "C.V." I didn't get this and said something stupidly polite, like "excuse me?" and she said, louder: "C.V.!" I was starting to panic, and started to guess: "you mean the bag?" and asked her and she decided to yell "C.V.!" Finally I understood that she meant my I.D., but dude, what a woman. When I had that ticket in hand, I was happy to get out of there.

And now I'm more than happy to be here. I live in the SoCo area, where the hippies roam through the various coffee shops and seconds hand stores. There's music everywhere. People are sitting on the streets strumming their guitars, and I can positively say that I love this place.

Yesterday before I went to bed I tood my computer and decided to write some of my novel by a coffee place called Jo's right next to where I live. From there you can see all the lights from the boutiques and you can feel the life that is the SoCo area. Lovely.

Nadia

Dallas... not so awesome

It’s my second day in Dallas and I have to tell you guys; it’s just a city. It’s just a bunch of tall buildings and a whole lot of ghetto. Let’s take an example: Commerce Street. If you walk from Houston down Commerce it seems to be going okay. You walk and you see businessmen, people walking their dogs, and the inevitable tall buildings. Then you walk further down, you pass Akard and suddenly the houses are all worn out, a lot of people sit on benches or sidewalks, asking for money and roads are all leading to the freeway. If you only want to see the fancy parts of Dallas, you don’t have many places to go. If you feel like seeing the cozier parts, though, you should go to Uptown. But there’s not much of that either. No, Dallas is a politician’s and businessman’s city. If you’re neither, you should probably head for Fort Worth or Austin.

I did get to go to the Farmer’s Market today, though, where I tasted some of the best oranges I’ve ever had. Experience tells me that if one ever finds good oranges one should buy them, so that’s what I did. Eight for four bucks, and twelve bananas for three. That’s a bargain, and will last me a couple of days. When you’re just a poor traveler that’s good news.

So it’s Saturday and people are walking their dogs all over town. That’s how you can tell you’re in a good neighborhood. The sun isn’t shining, but it’s warm and it’s just getting warmer the further I get into the south. I do enjoy the weather, especially since I know that at home it’s freezing as hell and snowing and everywhere it’s just plain cold. Wish you were here, people!

In the late afternoon I stopped by the Dallas Convention Centre by accident and saw a gazillion 12-year old girls standing outside and inside in weird make-up and way too little clothes. Outside they were standing in their costumes, primarily made out of one or two colors and inside they were doing all kinds of acrobatic stuff. What surprises me is that they all looked like dolls. They were here at an acrobat convention or whatever, and were still forced to look like that. Very strange indeed.

Catch you after the cowboy rodeo thing tonight. Next time I’ll be in Austin, a city I have very high hopes for…

Nadia

Dallas

Hey folks,

Arrived in Dallas. Been to Dallas. Agrees with everyone on Dallas. It’s not that it’s boring here, it’s just that this place doesn’t really have a lot of personality. It seems to be all business and cell phones and tall, shiny buildings.

So I heard that my dad is now coming to DC to visit! To me that’s pretty good news and DC seems to be a good "dad"-town. Filled with political sightseeing and after being so much on the road, it’s good to see one of the parents…

But I’ll have to stick to the point, I know. I started my dad here in the city with making a lot of phone calls to people I couldn’t reach. Friends of friends live in Dallas and I’d gotten phone numbers to them, so I had a free place to stay. Well, that didn’t exactly work out. Furthermore, I had to do all of this at the Greyhound station, where there seemed to be a certain audience. Finally I gave up and went back to the hotel where I spent the first night. The woman behind the counter thought it was pretty funny that I came back and I was just relieved to get rid of my bag again and be able to sleep somewhere tonight. Even though it’ll break the bank. Or maybe it won’t. Oh well. And I need to not think about that kind of stuff after two days of intense travelling on a bus and not doing what I’m supposed to – which is hanging around in American towns and cities.

Then I visited the Sixth Floor Museum, where I learned all about the Kennedy assassination and found myself getting very moved. I can definitely recommend it if any of you are ever Dallas-bound. I mean, you have to have a Kennedy day of you’re here. In the midst of all the tall buildings and all the men who have suited up, Kennedy stuff is definitely some of the most interesting things about this place. And it is interesting. I got to tell you, I was pretty psyched when I found that X on the road where he was shot. I mean, not like happy psyched but more like I’ve-been-here-psyched. There’s a difference. And don’t worry, I took pictures. Many pictures.

Here in the city there’s not so much God-stuff. You see that on the road a lot more, and that’s why even the bus rides here are interesting. But I’m glad there aren’t preachers anywhere, and that I haven’t been asked to any Bible readings just yet.

In the evening there is one thing really interesting and somewhat charming about Dallas though: the birds. In the downtown area you can hear the shrieks of birds all over, sometimes louder, sometimes not so much, but they’re always there. And you can see them, too. They hang out in tress and they’re so many that you can hardly see the tree for all them birds. But it’s only at night apparently and that’s what makes it so interesting.

The cowboys come out at night, too. With their hats and their dialects and their horses (okay, maybe not the horses, but they would if they could, I bet) they stroll around Market Street which is where all the barbecue restaurants and cowboy stuff is at. Tomorrow I’ll go check out the so-called Gilley’s Dallas in the evening where I’m sure I’ll run into a lot of them. Yee-haw!

Nadia

Finally in Dallas

Hey everyone,

What a long busride! But I've arrived in Dallas efter nine hours where only the last one was slightly bad - got hit on by a high school jock. Why, oh why?!

Anyway, Texas is a fascinating place. Just driving through it is amazing. And guess what? I've finally entered the Bible belt. On the interstate there are Jesus signs everywhere, telling me I should get saved (thanks, but no thanks) and that Church of Christ is open and just down the road, or sometimes there are even these huge billboards saying stuff like "what would Jesus do?" and whatnot. The best part though? A truck with the words JESUS CHRIST IS LORD written with big letters across it. Seriously, what is that?

I went through Happy, Texas on the bus remember (remember that movie?) and Stephenville where Jewel Kilcher lives - on that particular occasion I felt like I just had to play some Jewel on my MP3. Nothing else would be right.

But Now I'm here in Dallas. I had a little trouble finding a place to sleep, but then a homeless guy asked me if I was looking for something. I told him the name of the hotel I was looking for (saw it mentioned in Lonely Planet of course) and he followed me to the door. I thought it was the sweetest thing, and of course gave him some money so he could eat. After having blessed me many times he left and I am now no longer in need of a bed. Good.

Tomorrow it will be all about Dallas and Kennedy. You know it.

And finally... my new friend Owen told me last night that there are so many churches in America that they all need to have a theme now. Like the Cowboy church where you get a sermon first and a ride on the rodeo afterwards. That's hilarious!

Nadia

From Albuquerque to Amarillo: the Greyhound Experience

So yesterday I had a bus going from Albuquerque to Amarillo. Easy as cake, right? No. Halfway there the bus kept driving to the side of the road. Something was wrong went the ventilator, or fan or whatever, and we couldn't go any further. A fellow passenger tried to help him out, got the thing solved at everyone was clapping because we were so happy to beback on some sort of schedule. Wrong. Again we had to stop every ten minutes, windows had to be opened until - finally - we had to stop at small town Santa Rosa, New Mexico, to for three hours until another bus came. The only thing nearby was a so-called food mart, which isn't filled with food at all, let me tell you that. A new bus came, and we were on our way again.
The good thing, though, is that everyone kept being happy the whole time. This was mainly because of the joyous driver and a Trevor Morgan-looking guy who kept cracking jokes that made everyone laugh. So really not that bad an experience even though I arrived at Amarillo at 9pm and DIDN'T get to see the Cadillac Ranch. So sad.

However, I did get to meet these two guys, Owen and Josh, who told me one of the scariest stories I've ever heard in my entire life. This is basically the reason I will not tell you guys about it. Hell, I had some trouble sleeping because of that thing. Scary. But if you want to you can ask me when I get back, then maybe I'l tell you... maybe.

Now I'm just waiting to go to Dallas. People tell me it's a dead city with a certain lack of personality, but I'll just have to see for myself. At least they have the place where Kennedy died and that's cool in its own way. Hopefully nothing will happen on the bus today. I don't want to be there any later than 9:30pm, he official time of arrival, which is still pretty late when you arrive somewhere.

Catch you guys later,

Nadia

Uneventful, yet satisfying day

Things that is true about America:

1) They have curfews. They actually have curfews if you’re under some age, depending on the state. I know! It’s crazy!
2) Everyone sues everyone. They talk about suing on the street, they have billboards that encourages people to sue, and lawyers have way too many ads on TV (always with a catchy jingle to remember who to call)
3) And their commercials in themselves are awesome. They’re so corny, cheesy and downright embarrassing that I wish I could tape them. Again music is key.

There are probably plenty more, but those are what come to mind. However, I do love this country so far. Just like I’ve always done.

Today has been uneventful, but satisfying. I drank coffee in the morning while working on my budget – something that I love somehow; I guess I’m like my mother that way. Anyway, I was waiting for the Rail Runner which is the best transportation in the world! You want to know why? Because it’s actually funny. Every time it leaves the station it makes the sound of the Road Runner, and that’s brilliant. I had no idea transportation would be funny. Anyway, I got back to Albuquerque, went to the House of Hippies (which it is now called), and read the Charles Bukowski I got from Sarah, one of the earlier mentioned skater girls, before she left for Phoenix in the middle of the night. I finished Margaret Atwood’s Cat’s Eye yesterday and it was freaking amazing. Anyway, Marielle entered the house, we talked a while and then I went to Satellite, a coffeehouse nearby, to work on Freckles, my new novel. I stayed there until 10pm, then left, and now I’m here, again in front of the computer.

Oh, and so many Americans don't even believe that I'm from Denmark when I tell them. They actually believe me to be American. Awesome!

That’s pretty much what has happened. And it’s kind of cool to know a city so well that you can choose not to be in it, and yet know where to go when you’re about to write some more on your novel. Tomorrow it’ll be all about Amarillo and if I get the chance I’ll go to see the crazy Cadillac Ranch, where some rich dude has decided to spend his money in an all too weird way. Maybe more about that later; maybe more about something else.

Pop Art

Valentine's Day is gone and so are most of the Santa Fe tourists. There have been surprisingly many these last days, but now everything is quiet and very strange. After so much action downtown it was weird that there were no kids, and parents, and noise.

Today I went pretty much gallery hopping on the main streets downtown and took some pictures of Loretto Chapel while I was at it. This place is magical. It's like a giant museum filled with various great canteens and museum stores. That's what it's like. And then it was President's Day today which meant that the post office was closed. Bummer. I had some things I wanted to send out.

So sorry guys, but there's not much to tell. I've been looking at pop art all day walking every sidewalk of the centre, exploring the city so I can really say I've been here. You should be here too once.

Nadia

Art in Santa Fe

I've had such a good day today. First I went to the Georgia O'Keefe museum for some famous culture and a short lecture on O'Keefe and her life. It was really interesting and a good way on what would become a day filled with art and conversations in one of the most beautiful places I've been in the US so far.
After this I went to Canyon Road, one of the most famous art roads in Santa Fe. There were so many galleries and it's easy to make pass here. Anyway, I went into this one gallery and was greeted by the cutest dog ever. "That's Gracy" a woman said. I hugged down and scratched Gracy behind her ears so that we could become friends. "Where are you from?" the woman asked. I stood up and told her. And then she told me of all the places she had lived in her life. Originally from Nebraska, she moved to Knoxville where she lived in her car until she moved to Albuquerque. She then got married to a Danish man and together they moved to Santa Fe. She told me about her son who had died ten years ago and the conservatism in the Midwest. It was so incredible to talk to her and hear about what she had experienced. Every time there would be people in the gallery she'd say hello to them, and then return to me with naming me Sweetheart or Sweetie. Like this: "so, Sweetheart, where are you going next" or "so tell me, Sweetie, where have you been so far?" I could've talked to her for hours on end, but when I had to leave she hugged me goodbye and told me to be safe. So if you EVER get to Santa Fe; go to Meyer East Galleries. A pretty rad woman works there.
But art dealers are pretty talkative in general, asking where you're from and stuff like that. However, some of them gave some really good tips. Like this one guy who wrote me down directions to get to San Diego from Los Angeles - which is something I certainly must convince Ivar and my mom to drive to when they get there in July. It's only a 1 hour drive!

Anyway, in the late afternoon I came back to downtown and bought the coolest hat ever (EVER!) that looked like a dog, and then went to see a play that was showing in one of the local bookstores. It was called Love Letters and had me in tears at the end. But that's the kind of stuff that happens in Santa Fe: art just happens here.

So come here at least once in your lifetime. Seriously, you won't regret it. I mean, I kind of want to move here.

Nadia

Santa Fe is the best!

If you are in any way into art, you should come to Santa Fe. This is my kind of town.

I left Albuquerque this morning via the Rail Runner which cost me something like 4 bucks, and that's nothing next to the 36 I had to pay if I chose Amtrak. And I have to admot to you guys; I like Santa Fe a whole lot better than Albuquerque where I liked Central Avenue and then found it difficult to see if there was anything else there.
But Santa Fe is cultural! There are art galleries everywhere here, and they are good. When I got here I went for a stroll downtown, and went to a bookstore where there was also live music going on. That's what the town is all about: art. I love how I'm about to spend two whole days here. I have a feeling that Santa Fe is a pretty unerestimated place to Europeans, and I intend to straighten that out.

For it to be even better I'm staying at the cheapest and best place ever called the Sage Inn. It's pretty close to everything, the rooms are great, the breakfast is supposedly pretty rad, there's free everything (including Internet, thank you very much) and the people are so nice. And did I mention it was cheap?

Well, I'm off. Catch you guys later.

Nadia

Albuquerque

First of all I need to tell you guys about the seriously amazing food that's going on in Albuquerque. Today I went to this cafe called the Gold Street Cafe and I had the best sandwich one can ever have. So good. Apparently this is one of the perks of New Mexico and I believe that's true. And apparently the food of Santa Fe is even better, so I can't way to eat my heart out there.

Other than that I went to the downtown area today and I can conclude this: Central Avenue is fantastic. It has local art all over the place and good art at that. There are colours everywhere, and it looks like a mix between the States and Mexico. But if you move away from Central you'll be bored and nothing will happen. It's a town that lives on a single street, and even though Central goes right down Old Town, downtown and Nob Hill, it's still not enough.

I went to this Museum of Intolerance where there was no admission and it was so sad and informative at the same time. Unfortunately there was a guy who worked there, who kept talking to me, and it took away a little of the positive experience. He also said that Santa Fe was boring and that "social workers aren't exactly rocket scientists", which kind of amused me when I came to think of the fact that he worked in the Intolerance Museum. Oh well.

Then it's cool that I met Sarah and Claire, two skater girls from Chicago. They came here only because Repo Man was filmed here and that's something I can understand. I told them that I really looked forward to Omaha, and Sarah asked why. I said "the music there is fantastic" and she looked at Claire and said "Saddle Creek". And anyone who responds like that are fucking cool in my mind.

At the end of the day I went to see The Wolfman at the downtown cinema and was surprised of how many trailers they showed. Eight! Wow. And now we are at numbers. How many people have asked me for money since I got here? Six. That's more than all the other places combined. Yeah, I'm not too big on Albuquerque, but don't get me wrong: Central is great.

Certificate of Bravery

Went to the Rattlesnake Museum today and was frightened. Actually I was so scared that I could hardly breathe at one point and I just stood there looking down on the ground. No, this was NOT because of the snakes. I love snakes! It was something else: Today I was forced to face my intense fear of huge, giant, hairy, scary, absolutely terrifying spiders. See, no one (no one!) told me ANYTHING about spiders, so I was happy looking through all the pretty snakes until suddenly I couldn't see it. I looked, I scouted, but there was nothing. And then suddenly I realized I was about 10 centimeters away from one, no way, the worst fear I have: tarantulas. I didn't scream. I've learned not to. Instead I kept my breathe (or rather, I stopped breathing) moved away quickly, and escaped to the corners where I realized that this was not the only eight-legged creature in here. Thankfully, they were all gone in the next room and once I told this to one of my (very) hippie-ish companions, MaryBelle, she embraced me and said "aaww". What a sweetheart.

Well, at least now I can say that I've been in the same room as those evil things, right? When we got out of there I got a Certificate of Bravery from the dude who owned the place and I still don't know if I should feel ashamed or proud of that fact. Hm.

Anyway, I'm staying at the craziest place. It's like a hostel even though it's not, and it full of vegan hippies. I kind of like it, and still I'm not aware of what's going on. But it definitely is interesting and very New Mexico.

Also, I went to the University part of town today. It's called Nob Hill just like the district in San Francisco. It was such a university place and all the kids there were indie and super chic. It made for some interesting cafes and boutiques, and even one where I could sell my earrings and get a sweater in return. Hey, that was a pretty good trade right there.

Tomorrow I'll hit downtown. For now I'll just go to sleep real soon.

Nadia

The First Ignorant American on My Trip

So yesterday I met my first ignorant American. It was on the Greyhound of course. She was from Arkansas, and had a thick southern accent. She was the one who started talking to me, so to be nice I asked her about her home state, what she did, those kind of things. Well, she didn't know much about Arkansas except for the small town she was from, and she didn't work. She'd tried that, she said, but she didn't like it. So now she lived at home and did nothing. I told her I was from Europe, travelling through the States, and she looked at me like I was crazy. But I guess then she remembered that I was going from Europe to America and she told me that she never found a reason to go anywhere else. I don't know, something about her just made me angry. Finally I decided I'd rather listen to what John Mayer had to say than her, so I put my headphones on. But I guess it was time for me to meet someone ignorant after having meet so many wonderful people already.

I'm in Albuquerque now and I have to say that I have a very good feeling about this place. I met a girl called MaryBelle, who told me that the people in Santa Fe and Albuquerque residents have a fight going on, so that'll be interesting seeing that my next destination will be Santa Fe.

Anyway, I should go get breakfast before I venture out to see some rattlesnakes and churches.

Nadia

Flagstaff, Arizona

So this morning I woke up in Flagstaff and went downstairs to have breakfast at the hotel. I ate and was about to go outside, when a woman from the hotel kitchen asked me if I was visiting Flagstaff for business or vacation. I told her my story: that I was from Denmark and traveling all over the US. She looked scared and after telling me how brave I was, she said "I bet you call your mother every night". I told her I had no phone and she started to look so bewildered that I felt I had to calm her down by saying that I got to talk to my mom in New York, where I did have a phone for a week. "Your mother must be so worried about you" the lady said and I replied by saying that she probably was. And then she said "every girl should be able to call their mother" and found the manager of the hotel. Turned out they only made domestic calls which I think bummed the woman out, and the last words she said to me was "don't you trust no one, and take care now. And call your mother when you get the chance!" I thanked her and went on my way.

And that's the way people are here in Flagstaff. They are the sweetest kindest people. Another example: Later I sat in a cafe when suddenly I sneezed. Normally that would be ignored, but here the people around me all said "bless you".

Besides the folks here in the town, everything else is pretty awesome as well. This is the perfection of small-town America and I'm so glad I came here. The downtown is colorful and so charming. Today there's snow everywhere, but still it's warm. And the whole town has this cool vibe that I haven't found many other places. What can I say? I love this place. Albuquerque has a lot to live up to now.

Superbowl

So I arrived in Flagstaff and it's snowing here. Crazy.

However, first I need to tell you about a unique experience I had yesterday. Because of my new and tattooed friend Amanda I got to celebrate Sunday Superbowl at a private home. and not any private home either. Amanda took me to spend it with some friends of hers that used to be useless, but now live on the outskirts of Vegas. Visiting them was worth this whole trip. They were such warm people and by the time I left we had all become friends and the woman of the house, katrina, even gave me a shirt and a Saints scarf, so I could always remember. I also got a lot of great questions about Denmark like if it was the capital of Belgium and if it wasn't right next to Spain? My favourite one, however, was if we have cats and dogs in Denmark, too? To this I replied that, yes, we do, which established that it was just like America then. I loved those people, and I love Amanda who I will absolutely miss on my way further into this land.

But I am now in Flagstaff and in an actual hotel even (sitting in the lobby right now). I've been looking around for a little while and I think I like it here. One thing is for sure: the people are so nice. I got the warmest welcome when I arrived here and walking down the street i must've looked cold because suddenly a man stopped me to give me his gloves. It looked like I needed them more, he said.

Catch you later guys. I'm off.

Chicken Dinner

Yesterday I actually heard the words "winner winner, chicken dinner" at the Bellagio. And that's Vegas for you.

Raining in the desert. What are the odds?

It's raining in Vegas today. I walked all the way to the Fremont Street Experience to feel what the locals call the real Vegas and eat deep fried Twinkies at Mermaids Casino. People who, like me I admit, watch My Life on the D-List will understand (this is NOT something I'm proud to have watched, but I do love it).

Getting to Fremont Street Experience was a mission. I had to walk the bad part of the Strip forever until FINALLY I saw a man on a horse in neon lights - not a real man, mind. But it was so worth it. You haven't been to Vegas if you haven't been there as well, that's what I say.

Anyway, that was pretty sure, I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still here. Tomorrow it's all about the Strip with its gambling and debauchery.

Nadia

Vegas morning

It's late morning in Vegas and I've woken up late. Last night I went to a strip club with a girl named Amanda, and it was awesome. I mean, I know what goes on in strip clubs, but seeing it is just crazy. And the dudes there are all superiour and Vegas-like. You gotta love it.

Anyway, Vegas is the place for waking up late. When I arrived yesterday the city consisted of a bunch of tall and impressive buildings, but when the lights came on after dark it fucking blew my mind away. Suddenly it was crazy impressive, and even though I'm not a gambler I can appreciate lights.

So today I'm going to check out the casinos on the Fremont Street Experience because I love it there already after having quickly walked down there once yesterday. It's like the poor man's Vegas. And then I should go get once of those fried Twinkies, cause they seem DISGUSTING. And that's as good a reason as any.

Vegas!

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't been keeping in touch, but I haven't been around the wonders of the Internet for a while. Now, however, I am in Vegas and things are a bit different around here. Since you and I last spoke I've been watching the skater kids of Venice beach do their thing (and god, how the spirit of the Z-boys is still alive) and I've been spedning way too much time in Barstow, the shittiest place in the world. Okay, maybe not (they do have a Starbucks after all), but that city does come close. What a dump. It almost looked like something the Europeans had come up with to make fun of Americans. Everywhere was a fast food sign or some motel that tried to sell its room by sporting how it had HBO (just a sign of how LAME Barstow is), and being there for more than 24 hours have only made me appreciate Vegas so much more.

Because, despite of everything, there is life here. And lights. Lots and lots of lights. Flashing and bright and real Vegas-like. It looks kind of like exactly how it does in the movies, but real. Because I'm actually looking at it with my own eyes, and I can't believe what I'm looking at. You know they even have slotmachines in supermarkets here? That's just crazy.

Later dudes, gotta go to a strip club.

Nadia

Day One: Los Angeles

The first thing I heard when I was boarding the flight to L.A. was an American girl talking to a friend on the phone. "I'm not really sure I understand what's going on yet", she said. "It's like I'm not really on my way". That's just how I felt, and it's like I'm still not sure I'm really here. As I am writing these words I am sitting in the living room of my friend Jesse's house, still wondering if this is really happening. I'm sure it'll hit me soon enough, and that it's just because I'm exhausted from sleep deprivation and bad air ventilation that I can't really get it.

With that in mind, I still don't know what the city has to offer. A million things, I'm sure, but I was so excited about an actual school bus to notice. The school buses are real. They really do exist as other than Hollywood props. And California license plates do actually put the name of the state in cursive letters like they came right out of an Elmore Leonard novel or something. To me, that's crazy. And I might end up taking one silly picture after another just to prove my point.

And did I mention the weather? At four this morning I feared I couldn't get to the airport because of all the snow and here some lady complained because it was 17 degrees! It's warm enough to wear my spring coat - which is lucky, because that bad boy is all I brought. And by the way, immigration isn't so bad. Just so you know.

But I might want to unpack instead of scribbling senseless nonsense which is primarily dominated by my current state of not knowing what's going on and a headache from the aircraft oxygen.

And guys: I'm in an apartment in L.A. How cool is that*?

Nadia

*Answer: very

nadia