National Parks in the USA – my Favorite Travel Destination

Hello, nice to be read by you!

     Today I am going to write about my favorite travel destination in the USA. No, it is neither New York nor Hollywood! Since my uncle showed me some pictures and told me stories about his adventures in the western US, my dream is to discover the National, Navajo Tribal and the State parks of Northern America. Unfortunately, I have never been to the US but as soon as it is possible for me I will arrange a flight to these very special and wonderful places. 

The United States has 59 national parks. These are protected areas which the National Park Service is responsible for. (For some people who are interested in politics, the NPS is an agency of the Department of the Interior. I added this information because at the end of this entry I will add some important facts which had happened in the near past with the parks, politics, and tourists.) The Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 – as America’s first national park, since then the idea of protecting the natural monuments, beautiful landscapes, and impressing canyons, spread all over the world. At first you have to know, that there are three categories for these areas:

1.  National parks, as I mentioned before, the NPS is responsible for it. The most famous national parks are Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yellowstone, and the Bryce Canyon.

http://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/grand-canyon-national-park?gclid=CISEjrry37oCFRMctAodjmYAtw

Bryce Canyon

2. Navajo Tribal parks, these areas belong to the Navajo Tribal and are private. The Monument Valley and the Antelope Canyon are wonderful examples.http://navajonationparks.org/parks.htm

Antelope Canyon

3. State parks, for example the Dead Horse Point in Utah is very imposing. http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/park/dead-horse-point-state-park

Dead Horse Point

      For me it is important to see landscapes with mountains and canyons, their different shapes, colors, and geological history. This is the reason why I prefer the national, tribal, and state parks in the western US.

     As my uncle told me, you can buy a ticket for all kinds of parks for just 80 $ and it is valid for a whole year. He also said that the tours which lead through the parks are highly recommendable. As far as I know he rent a car and drove to these parks all by himself, he passed several cities for example Denver, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Three cities, which are beautiful and an absolute “must see” on my “US tour”. Of course you need a lot of time to travel through the countries but if you are clever and a little bit forward-thinking you will be able to do a lot of sightseeing within three weeks.

Shutdown in the US!!!

     In October 2013 there was a shutdown all over the US because the states have too many arrears and were bankrupt. As a result the politicians decided to close ministries and authorities, which means that for 16 days all the employees had to go on “unpaid” holidays. Also the NPS had to close their parks; no one was allowed to visit the national parks and camping sites. But the NPS is also responsible for the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Alcatraz in the bay of San Francisco, or the Lincoln Memorial in Washington and these sights were also closed. I think this shutdown was not a quite good thing because it costs the US BILLIONS of US$!!!

     My uncle was in the US during the shutdown and at first he didn’t know what to do, because his and all the plans of the other tourists where blown away – but then he remembered that only the national parks were closed and NOT the state parks and the Navajo Tribal parks. Therefore he made new arrangements and had a beautiful journey. Luckily, he had been several times in the US before and had already seen these special places so it was not such a bad thing for him.

     In spite of the shutdown and the financial crisis, which the USA has, I really want to see these natural spectacles and I think everyone should at least visit one of the parks because my uncle told me that when he entered the Yellowstone National Park he didn’t know if he was just dreaming or if he has just landed somewhere in outer space, it was so overwhelming that I can see this sparkle in his eyes every time he is talking about this special journey. 

If I have found here some kindred spirits here are some videos you might like ;)

SueC :) 

A Colorful Generation

Nearly every fifth person in Austria has one: a picture, a sign, or a lettering on their body. Yes, I am talking about tattoos. This painful treatment is a big trend, and I have to admit, that I have got one too. It is a small butterfly combined with a fairy.

But why, for goodness sake, do people suffer voluntarily for something extraordinary on their body? Isn’t it stupid to stitch with a needle in someone’s skin, and fill this wound with ink? Isn’t it dangerous? What happens if the tattooist makes a mistake? What if you change your mind about the tattoo after a few years? What can you do then? These are all questions, which are very important to think about if you want to have a tattoo. You should come up with an excellent answer for all this questions above and most of all be very careful with your choice of the tattooist. Here are some of the motives, which I think are responsible for this choice:

           

            The uniqueness. Most of the tattoos are individual paintings from a tattooist, so you are the only person in the whole world who has got this kind of body art. It makes you feel special and unique. In today’s society everybody has to fit into norms (for example fashion) and having a tattoo, breaks the norm.

            The meaning. Maybe something good or bad had happened in your life and you want this memory to stay, so you think it is a good idea to stitch it into your skin, but dare you to stitch the name of your current love!! I know a few people who really regret this decision…

           Maybe there is another fact, why it is so cool to have a tattoo. In the media are more and more tattooed models, they advertise things with the art that is on their body and so they are able to influence someone’s choice to have a tattoo easily.

            Tattoo conventions are good visited events. There you get ideas for your next tattoo, buy some really freaky underwear or shoes, and have a look at the real tattoo freaks. I think the most famous are the Zombie Boy and the Vampire Lady.

 

But there are dangers too:
For example, can you get addicted to the pain, I know this sounds strange, but the instant buzz that you get when the needle enters your skin is a nameless feeling. And it isn’t a secret that many people get the whole body tattooed because they couldn’t stop.

            Scientists have found out that the ink might be dangerous and includes carcinogenic substances. So it is really important that you can trust your tattooist and go to a well-known artist. You should ask for a certificate too, just to be sure this artist works clean and hygienic.

           

           The best known and most effective and gentle procedure of removing a tattoo is the treatment with laser. But I have seen some results, and you will never be rid of your ‘wonderful’ picture, because you might get scars from the laser therapy.

So if you want to have tattoos make sure it is really necessary, and be careful with the choice of your motive and artist. Think about what you really want on or in your skin, and check if it is allowed in your current or any future job. For example, if you work in a hotel, you shouldn’t have any tattoos on your hands, feet, neck, face, or anywhere else where the guest might see it.

So be carful with your choice to be different : )

SueC

Klagenfurt, the Wörthersee and why you should visit it in your summer holidays

Hello everybody,

My name is Susanna (but for my friends Susi) I am 20 years old and I’m studying Austrian Sign Language and English at the ITAT in Graz.

 I have moved from Klagenfurt to Graz for my studies, although I am not really homesick, I want to talk about my beautiful hometown and its benefits in the summer holidays.

    Klagenfurt is the capital city of Carinthia (Austria) and known for its beautiful lakes, actually there are 1270 all over Carinthia. The biggest and I think the best known is the Wörthersee, it has a length of 16,5 km and at its deepest point reaches 85,2 meters.  Also many good tasting fish are swimming in the lake (which actually has drinking water quality), for example the luce or the carpe.

 The coastline, which is 45km long, is unique and has some really special and magical places to visit, like Maria Wörth (which is a peninsular and most famous for its church), Velden, Reifnitz, Pörtschach and of course Klagenfurt am Wörthersee (my hometown, ;) ).

But what if you are not really interested in sightseeing? You want something exciting? Let’s have a look at the big offer of events, which are the whole summer around the lake (well there are so many, I just picked the best ones):

           

 At first there is the IRON MAN, a sporting event which is in June. It’s not only a sport event, no it is the biggest European triathlon, and 2000 actors from all over the world are starting there. What do they have to do? They have to swim 3,8 km, afterwards 180km of cycling  and at the end just another 42,2km of running. That’s really tough, hugh??

           

 Let's continue with the Beach Volleyball Grand Slam (BVGS) which is (also every year) in July, an international Beach volleyball tournament which lasts for a week. But in 2013 there was something new. The organization announced, after some rumors, that there will be the EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP (in German: EM). At first nobody believed that announcement but afterwards everybody was glad to be part of the EM.

It is my favorite event because it’s beside the “Klagenfurter Strandbad” (the biggest open air bath in Europe), so you can leave the event to go swimming and come back easily. The atmosphere is just amazing; there are so many people who party together peacefully (but to the disadvantage for the tourists of the nearby camping place it is a really loud week). At this event there are also a lot of side events around the lake, like the Champions Night in the Fabrik (the hippest club around the lake), or the Bacardi Beach Circus, a really freaky beach party.

            Then there is the Fête Blanche, or also called: the night in white. Maybe you can suggest from the name the topic of this event: everybody has to wear white clothes. In effect it’s really cool to be part of THE party, since last season there where really cool DJS like DJ Antoine (Fabrik) or Mike Candys (Velden). Unfortunately it is  a very expensive night…

            Well, at the end of this long list of events I will introduce you to some motor sport events, the GTI Treffen, an the Harley Davidson Parade.

The GTI Treffen is for car “freaks” who love the cars of VW. A whole week they are driving around the lake, making lots of noise and parties. Reifnitz is the so called main station, where all the “beautiful” tuned cars are.

At the End of the summer holidays there is the Harley Davidson week at the Faakersee (yes it is pronounced like the “F”-word…) there you can see bikes, bike-wear shops and party tents with rock music.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my introduction of the Wörthersee and maybe we will see us the next summer.

Better be there, :) 

SueC