So how did we come up with our itinerary? Well, the answer is that we wanted to combine seeing certain places with meeting friends, and this is how it worked out in the end.
We will start with a week in New York City from 5 to 12 June, where we probably have the largest network of private and professional contacts from various parts of the world. It will certainly be the most intense time with a busy schedule, and we will have to see how that works with 5-year-old jetlagged twins…
Which is why we look forward to then heading to Seattle, where we will be staying on Bainbridge Island at a charming place my wife scouted on Airbnb. One of my closest friends from my high school year in Michigan lives there with his family and I look forward to reconnecting with him after many years.
After almost ten days in Seattle, we will embark on a four week camper tour that will linkely take us through Washington State, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado before we head back the West Coast to eventually end our camper adventure in San Francisco. We are excited to meet my wife’s host family in Idaho from her time as an exchange student there, to re-connect with other friends in Colorado and to experiencing a special time for the four of us with many unexpected encounters and impressions.
After returning our RV in San Francisco, we will take a plane to Chicago and stay there for a few days, before we drive to the north of Michigan to see the family that hosted me during my high school year in Michigan. The last time we saw each other was at my wedding over ten years ago, and I can’t wait to catch up after all that time.
Following the reunion with my host family, we will head back to the East Coast, starting in Cape Cod, where we will be staying with my best man and his family for the last week in July. Him and I met in Atlanta, lived together for several months and close friends ever since. Later in August, we will see them again in Atlanta for a few days before heading home to Berlin.
Early August will be when we tour through Vermont to visit several places, including a wonderful house somewhere in the woods. It belongs to a friend of my parents’ who is so kind to host us for a few days, before we continue to head north into Quebec with a few days in Montreal and Quebec City. The East Coast tour ends with a week in Maine where we will be spending most of our time by the sea.
The final stop on our North America tour will be Atlanta, where I had the privilege to study at Emory Law School for a year 15 years ago. Further close ties to America were established during that time, and they remain close ever since.
24 August will mark the end of our journey. We are sure to head back to Berlin with hearts filled to the rim with new impressions and stories from the New World.
