The first thing I visited after landing at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas was the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign”. In the late 1940s, the Strip began to rival the old center, Fremont Street. In 1946, the Flamingo Hotel and Casino opened, which brought many other hotels and casinos in its wake. The Flaming Hotel had many connections to the Las Vegas Mob, the Mafia. Benjamin Siegel, a prominent figure in organized crime, took over the Flamingo project from Billy Wilkerson, who ran out of funds. Funding for the Flamingo came from mob bosses who provided capital for projects deemed too risky by traditional bankers

Many tourists arrived via Highway 91, so a city sign was erected to welcome motorists. However, it was not intended to be a simple wooden sign, but to match the character of the brightly colored casinos. The sign was designed in 1959 by Betty Whitehead Willis, who also designed the signs for the Blue Angel Motel and the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino. It is a famous example of Exaggerate Modern/Googie Architecture from the 1940s to 1960s.

If you walk to the Strip from north downtown, you will be greeted by the Gateway Arch next to the Strat Tower. The idea for the archway came in July 2016 when the Welcome to Downtown Las Vegas sign was destroyed when hit by a car. YESCO, the company that created many famous signs in Las Vegas, is set to work on building a more spectacular replacement. The arches were completed in 2020 at a cost of 6.5 million US dollars.

The restaurant "Heart Attack Grill" in downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street was recommended to me by my tour guide. It is an XXL restaurant with hot dogs and burgers, which are very cheap compared to other restaurants in Las Vegas. I ordered a huge hot dog with fries and a Coke for 20 dollars. In some hotels you pay 60.99 for a portion of Shrimps! Yes, its in the desert, but its still expensive. It was very tasty, especially the excellently seasoned and very crispy fries, highly recommended! If you weigh over 350 LBS (158 kg), you don't have to pay your bill! The restaurant deals with this in a very humorous way, there are adapted movie posters in the restaurant alluding to it and warnings about health consequences. Every guest who comes into the restaurant has to wear a hospital gown. You can only pay with cash "because you might die before the check clears". The waiters are all dressed like nurses. If you don't finish your food - or are cheeky to the nurses - you get a special punishment: you are harnessed in the middle of the restaurant in front of all the guests. Fortunately, I managed to finish everything. Two men and one woman didn't make it, they were spanked on the bottom by the sisters. Strange, but also very tasty. Come and visit - but only if you're really hungry...

The Mandalay Bay Hotel is probably the most famous hotel on the Strip. It opened on March 2, 1999 and has a tropical South Seas theme. In front of the hotel, following the pedestrian path to the entrance, you walk through a beautiful tropical scenery. There is a sandy beach with a wave pool and a Shark Reef Aquarium exhibition with sharks, rays and rare reptiles. In 2017, the hotel gained international notoriety. Stephen Paddock opened fire from the hotel's 32nd floor, killing 60 people and wounding 867 others in attendance at an outdoor music festival nearby. It is the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history. Several hundred workers, out of 7,400, were laid off as a result of decreased visitation due to the shooting. Numerous lawsuits were filed against MGM by the shooting survivors, alleging inadequate preventative measures at Mandalay Bay. The company and plaintiffs eventually settled for $800 million.

Anyone walking along the Strip will certainly be surprised by the huge castle that stands here in the middle of the desert. It's not Disneyland, but the Excalibur Hotel, which was modeled on a knight's castle. If you want to live like a princess or prince, you can book a room here. I was recommended the live show "Tournament of Kings", where you attend a spectacular jousting tournament inspired by the King Arthur saga and are served a typical medieval dish that you eat with your hands. I didn't go to the show myself, but it was recommended to me!

Smashburger is a fast food chain that I tried the first time in Las Vegas. It was founded in 2007 by Tom Ryan, who previously designed the stuffed crust pizza for Pizza Hut and the McGriddle for McDonalds. The fries are served with rosemary and olive oil, which is very tasty and stands out from all of fast food fries. The Angus beef is fresh and never frozen. Before frying, the meat is seasoned with a mixture of salt, black pepper and garlic, plus a boullon-like seasoning reminiscent of chicken. In the meantime, the burger buns are prepared using a compression toaster and a butter wheel so that they don't get too soggy as soon as a patty is placed on them. The meat is placed on a grill plate heated to 385 °F (196 °C) and pressed firmly with a special tool for 10 seconds to flatten it. Once the meat is heated to the point where the fat begins to melt, pressing the patty squeezes out the juices and dries them out.This technique caramelizes the underside of the patty on the buttered griddle and traps the juices inside the patty, preventing them from escaping and allowing the patty to marinate in its own juices. The sauce for the burger is made from mayonnaise, mustard, gherkins and lemon. Very delicious, give it a try!

As a fan of antiquity, having studied ancient Rome for years at university, I was very excited to see the Caesars Palace hotel and casino. It has been on the Strip since the 1960s and is very opulent. The hotel lobby, casino, and attached shopping center feature many statues, columns, and iconography typical of Hollywood productions from Roman times, including a 6.1-meter-high statue of Augustus Caesar near the entrance and the big Neptun-Fountain. There is a large event hall with a 2,086 square meter stage that looks like the Colosseum from the outside. International stars such as Adele, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tina Turner, Elton John, Harry Belafonte, and Mariah Carey have performed here in the past. The hotel has appeared in many films, including Rocky 3, Rain Man, The Hangover, and 2012. If you are in Las Vegas, you have to visit Caesars Palace. It's fun to walk through the corridors and admire the statues, giant chandeliers and ceiling paintings.

The LINQ Promenade is a shopping and promenade promenade between the Flamingo and the LINQ Hotel. It features an indoor and outdoor dining area, as well as numerous interesting shops that invite you to relax and people-watch. There's an Ice Bar and the world's tallest observation wheel, with beautiful views of the Strip and an integrated bar.

My favorite place in Las Vegas. A mall modeled after Venice, complete with beautiful stone floors, alleys adorned with frescoes, bridges, and painted ceilings, Italian-style shops and cafes, an artificial sky, and a canal running through the mall, where gondoliers ferry tourists around in gondolas. What's special about it: the gondoliers not only drive the boats, but are also singers, creating a wonderful atmosphere with their Italian singing. While in other malls, modern pop music blares from the speakers through the aisles, here the people themselves sing. Sitting in the replica of St. Mark's Square and sipping a nice coffee, you quickly forget that you're actually in a mall.

Next to the Knight's Castle stands a replica of New York's most famous skyscrapers. The Big Apple Coaster roller coaster runs between the 161-meter-tall Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the Chrysler Building, and the replica Brooklyn Bridge serves as a stage for musicians. The mall's interior recreates some New York City streets, but isn't as spectacular. You can take a stroll along the Strip and see the replicas.

A funny story connected to the fake Statue of Liberty: In December 2010 the Statue of Liberty Forever postage stamp was issued by the United States Post Office. It gained notoriety for mistakenly depicting the replica Statue of Liberty located at the New York-New York Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip rather than the original Statue of Liberty in New York. The error was identified by Texas-based stock photo agency Sunipix in March 2011. Ten and a half billion of the error stamps were produced. The mistake is the largest run of an error on a postage stamp.In 2013, sculptor Robert S. Davidson sued the Postal Service for copyright infringement, and in July 2018 a judge ordered the United States Postal Service to pay Davidson $3.5 million.

What makes the In- and Out in Las Vegas (in particular the one at 4838 Dean Martin Dr) so special is that there is a large merchandise store next to it. It's a short walk across the highway bridge behind the Strip. I'm not really a fan of buying T-shirts with brand advertising, especially from fast food chains. But the T-shirts from In- & Out are very stylish and have great Californian designs from the 50s and 60s. With palm trees, convertibles, cliffs and neon advertising - very beautiful!

The company was founded in 1948, but there is now a lot of hype on social media about the store, which for a long time only existed in California and is now slowly expanding to other states in the west and south of the USA. They only use chilled and non-frozen fresh meat, which must be delivered from the butcher's shop within 24 hours. The kitchen is open plan, you can watch the staff peel and cut the potatoes and the salad is also freshly washed and plucked. In contrast to McDonalds and Burgerking, they have a very small menu with only three different burgers. The Secret Menu has also contributed to the social media hype. My American colleague recommended that I order the “Animal Style” burger. Here, the burger is prepared with a special sauce reminiscent of Thousand Island sauce, grilled onions, mustard-glazed buns and gherkins. I was also recommended to order a “Neapolitan Shake”. Here, the staff mix together a vanilla, chocolate and strawberry milkshake. My colleague showed me how she uses the shake as a dip for her fries. There are many other changing secret items that don't appear on the menu, which get around on social media and fuel the hype. The concept of an open kitchen, fresh ingredients and a limited and focused menu is very reminiscent of Five Guys. Five Guys is another fast food chain that Obama also likes to visit. I tried Five Guys once in Berlin and found the burgers delicious, but the prices far too high. In-N-Out Burger, on the other hand, is very reasonably priced. A cheeseburger costs only $4.19, a meal with free refillable Coke and fries costs $8.45. A cheeseburger at Five Guys costs $6.49, fries $3.39 and Coke $2.29. Order the fries with extra salt, because otherwise they are very sparing with the salt. The burgers are delicious!

This famous wedding chapel close to my hostel has been the location of legendary weddings in Las Vegas for decades. Celebrities such as Britney Spears, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jordan have been married here. The “Tunnel of Love Drive-Thru” is particularly famous, where couples can be married directly in the car with Elvis impersonators. The wedding scene depicted in the 2025 Oscar-winning film Anora was shot at A Little White Wedding Chapel 

Its the oldest surviving wedding chapel on the Strip, build in 1942! Its on the National Register of Historic Places and looks like direct out of a Western movie.  It appears in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas, in which the film's characters played by Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret recite their vows in the church. Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford married here in 1991.

Many celebrities were married in the Graceland Wedding Chapel (the parents of Miley Cyrus, as well as Jon Bon Jovi and Rob Zombie) . It claims to be the first chapel to conduct weddings performed by Elvis impersonators. Elvis Presley visited the chapel in 1967, while planning his wedding to Priscilla Beaulieu. According to Frommer's, Presley himself gave the owners of the chapel permission to use the Graceland name, but in fact it was not renamed until after the singer's death, the same year that Elvis-themed weddings began there.

Fremont Street is in Las Vegas Downtown, the old city center before the Strip became the center. It is colorful, loud and freaky. Street performers vie for the attention of tourists here with street art, performances, live music and dancing. Bars invite you to sit down for people-watching. Above the street is a 460 meter long LED ceiling (“Viva vision”), which shows spectacular light shows at night. Above people's heads, brave people race along a zipline ("SlotZilla") along the street. Drinks are expensive, so get your drinks at CVS, fill them into a neutral bottle and enjoy the hustle and bustle.

At 350 meters, the STRAT Tower is the tallest free-standing building in Nevada. From up here you can enjoy a 360 degree view over Las Vegas. If that's not enough, you can take a bungee jump from the tower (“Skyjump”), ride a carousel over the edge (“Insanity”) or head towards the edge on a kind of rollercoaster seesaw. The tower is home to the "Top of the World" restaurant with an elegant dress code.

Alongside Caesar Palace, the water fountains in front of the Bellagio Hotel are probably the most famous attraction in Las Vegas. In front of the hotel is a large lake in which a fountain show is performed at regular intervals to changing music, from classical to pop. Inside the hotel, the "Conservatory & Botanical Garden", a seasonally decorated garden with elaborate floral installations, is well worth a visit.

A half-size replica of the Eiffel Tower stands in front of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. From the viewing platform 140 meters above the Strip, you have a beautiful view over the city and the Bellagio and fountains on the other side of the street. The Eiffel Tower is home to the "Eiffel Tower" restaurant, where you can enjoy fine French cuisine.

I'm a big fan of 4D cinemas. In 2012, I visited a 4D cinema in Potsdam Babelsberg where you ride a rollercoaster. I remember the seats shaking and the rollercoaster plummeting down several floors after the end of the track. The fall from the track felt so realistic that I instinctively pushed myself up in my seat to cushion the impact. What a great experience! In Amsterdam, I visited “THIS IS HOLLAND - The Ultimate 5D Flight Experience”. If you're afraid of heights, you should avoid this one. You sit on a row of seats and are strapped in. The room goes dark, the railing in front of you folds forward. The seats start to move and extend over the edge - below you is a large abyss with a screen in front of, below, above and next to you. The movie shows a flight through the Netherlands, the wind blows around your face, during rain scenes you are sprayed with drops of water, the seats turn and tilt depending on the scene. In some scenes, I had to hold on tightly to avoid falling out of my seat. In Las Vegas there is the “Flyover” experience, where you fly around in moving seats. It features flight motion seats, a 52.5 foot wide spherical screen that surrounds you and wind, mist and scents. There are three experiences: 

Wonders of the American West: Discover America’s rugged west aboard an epic immersive adventure. Wonders of the American West brings the United States’ most iconic locations to life, including Lake Tahoe, Zion National Park, the Mojave Desert and the Grand Canyon. You’ll fly with wingsuiters in Washington State and race with the world’s fastest car in the Salt Flats of Utah. You’ll also see one of the world’s natural wonders at Grand Canyon West.

The ride features 22 scenes across ten states, including Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, and Wyoming, even taking flight over the Las Vegas Strip.

• Legendary Iceland: Sweeping glaciers, stunning fjords and ancient mysteries. That’s what you’ll explore when you venture to the land of fire and ice aboard this incredible immersive journey. Hang on to your seat and be swept away to discover pristine Iceland.

• Windborne: Call of the Canadian Rockies. Set off on a journey beyond the summits. Flyover’s alpine experience transports you to the remote wonders of the Canadian Rockies. Beyond the beauty, you'll discover the spirit of the mountains from the people who call the Rockies home.

• Believe Chicago: Connect with your curiosity, amplify your senses, and explore Chicago. Your immersive flying journey transports you over Chicago so you can experience the city's highlights from this perspective.

• The Lost Cactus Bar: bar and lounge is an oasis in the desert. Refresh and unwind before or after your flight ride with a Prickly Pear Margarita, Desert Sunset or other delicious specialty cocktail while surrounded by the scalloped slot canyon walls and winding river floors. Don't forget to look up — no matter what time it is, The Lost Cactus’s twinkling stars always shine overhead.

I saw "Wonders of the American West".  It took over a year and more than 100 hours of flight time with an actual helicopter to shoot all the video footage. It was totally worth it! It conveys the fascination of American nature very well and makes you want to explore the landscapes shown. In contrast to the movie in Amsterdam, I noticed that there were none of the abrupt and fast dives and turns that made me cling to the handrails back then. So I was able to concentrate much more on enjoying the beautiful nature.Be sure to try it out!

You can get an insight here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCO2v8pqkfo

I spent the nights at the Bposhtel near the Strat Tower. I paid 49 dollars a night and slept in a 6 bed room. It was the cheapest hostel that was still reasonably within walking distance of the city center. Half an hour to downtown / Fremont Street, an hour and 10 minutes to Caesar Palace on foot. I didn't have any great expectations, I just wanted somewhere to sleep and shower as I was planning to spend most of my time in the national parks and the city anyway. The hostel has a few rooms in the 2-star Thunderbird Hotel, where single rooms start at 100 dollars a night. On arrival I had to wait half an hour in reception as the receptionist and only employee was helping out somewhere in the rooms. The room was neat and clean, the roommates were also considerate, the used towels that I put on the floor were not replaced every day by the room service, but after two days. The hostel offers social activities in the app, I wanted to participate in a bar crawl at 18:00 on my first day, unfortunately there was no one in the lobby for the tour at that time. If you want to actively meet people, you should go to a larger hostel, as there don't seem to be that many hostel guests here.  I can't complain about the price, if you're traveling on a budget you can stay here well. When I talked to the other tourguests in my group, they shared that they pay for a 2-Person Bedroom in the Mandalay Bay 400 Dollar the Night. I rather spend my money for nice experiences, then sleeping in a fancy Hotel.

2.5 hours from Las Wegen is the Grand Canyon West. On our way we passed Dolan Springs, the gateway to Grand Canyon. It is a very poor village and looks like a big trailerpark. About 41% of the population were living below the poverty line, including 88% of those under age 18. Medical emergency response in the Dolan Springs area can take hours. Unfortunately,  this section of US Route 93 in Arizona was ranked as the most dangerous highway in the U.S. This 200-mile-long road runs between Wickenburg, Arizona, and the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge. 70 fatal crashes reportedly took place on this highway from 2010 to 2016. Recent changes to the intersection of US93 and Pierce Ferry, the road to the Grand Canyon West, and the addition of several truck stops have made the highway far more dangerous. Slow-speed trucks entering and crossing US93 create a situation ripe for high-speed crashes. Next to the street we saw Juniper trees. Probably the most popular edible use of juniper trees is harvesting the conerries for making gin. The "Grand Canyon Gin" is made with a blend of 11 organic botanicals, including juniper berries, coriander, cinnamon, citrus, and lemongrass. Juniper berries are a mandatory ingredient for a spirit to be classified as gin. We also saw the Cylindropuntia fulgida, also known as Jumping cholla. The name comes from the ease with which the stems detach when brushed. Their surface is covered with tiny barbs, so even if you just lightly touch one without necessarily getting the end of the spine in you, they will stick to you. If you get pricked by a Cholla Cactus, the barbed spines will likely lodge deeply into your skin, making removal difficult and painful. It's important to remove the spines carefully to avoid infection. The desert looks deserted, but here are many animas living like Spiders, Tarantulas and Coyotes. 

 In my English book there was a large photo of the glass skywalk from which you could look deep into the canyon. I was very excited about it. The Grand Canyon is a steep, approximately 450-kilometer-long gorge in the north of the US state of Arizona, which was carved into the rock of the Colorado Plateau by the Colorado River over millions of years. The canyon is between 6 and 30 km wide and up to 1800 m deep. The canyon is one of the great natural wonders of the world and was visited by over six million people in 2018. Most of it is located in the Grand Canyon National Park, which has been a World Heritage Site in the United States since 1979. 2000 years ago, the Anasazi people inhabited the area. They lived in mud huts, built their dwellings into the walls of the canyon and left behind many rock carvings. The Grand Canyon was first sighted by a European through García López de Cárdenas from Spain. He was searching for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola on behalf of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. He arrived here in September 1540, after which the canyon was not visited by any Europeans for over 200 years. On January 11, 1908, the area around the Grand Canyon was declared a National Monument by US President Theodore Roosevelt, who had often spent time in the area. On the way to the Grand Canyon, we saw many pistachio farms. In 2007, the Grand Canyon Skywalk was opened, a horseshoe-shaped platform made of steel girders with glass floor panels and glass railings extending 22 meters above the edge of the canyon. Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin and a group of Hualapai Indians were allowed to take the first steps. Below the glass floor, there is a depth of 150 to 240 meters, two kilometers away you can see the Colorado River 1100 meters below. In the background is Eagle Point, a beautiful, natural rock formation reminiscent of an eagle with outstretched wings. It is commissioned and owned by the Hualapai Indian tribe, their "Ambassadors" are there to answer questions from the Tourists, sell jewelry and take pictures of them. I paid just under 100 dollars for admission and photos taken by the professional photographers. You can also do a zipline tour or book a helicopter tour. My tip: skip the visit to the skywalk. Instead, you should take the shuttle bus to Guano Point. It is a natural viewpoint over the Colorado River. You will have to hike a little and climb the rock formation, which can be exhausting in the blazing sun without any shade. But it's worth the effort: from the top you have a breathtaking 360 degree view of the canyon, definitely one of the most beautiful views I enjoyed during my time in the USA. There are also fewer tourists here. You can see an old cable car that crossed the canyon to reach a valuable guano mine in the early 20th century. The tracks stretched nearly 9,000 feet across the expanse of the canyon. This historic mining operation is known to have been one of the most difficult and expensive mining projects in the first half of the 20th century.  Guano is a natural substance consisting primarily of the excrement of birds or bats. It is often used as fertilizer because it is rich in important plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium.

The Hoover Dam is a masterpiece of engineering and is located about 45 minutes southeast of Las Vegas on the Arizona border. It dams the Colorado River to form Lake Mead. The dam's primary purpose is to provide controlled water flow to Arizona, Nevada, and California; another is to generate electricity. Before its construction, regular flooding of the Colorado River and periods of drought disrupted the lives of settlers in the southwestern states, particularly in agriculture. From 1935 until the construction of the Vajont Dam in Italy in 1961, the dam was the tallest dam in the world. A total of approximately 21,000 people worked on the dam's construction, 96 of whom died in work-related accidents. The city of Las Vegas owes its current appearance to the construction of the dam. Mormons established the first permanent settlement in the Las Vegas Valley in 1855 with the Las Vegas Mission, building a fort that served as a waystation and trading post. It was only thanks to the construction project, located some 50 km away and requiring thousands of workers, that the small desert settlement became the gambling metropolis it is today. Gambling and alcohol were prohibited in Boulder City, which was built specifically for the Hoover Dam workers and their families, so many of the workers moved to nearby Las Vegas in their free time, which quickly became home to an increasing number of casinos. 

The border between the states of Arizona and Nevada runs exactly down the middle of the dam. This means that the eastern half of the Hoover Dam falls within the Mountain Time zone (UTC-7 in Arizona), while the western half falls within the Pacific Time zone (UTC-8 in Nevada), so there is one hour time difference when you cross the dam. If you come and visit, you should not have an medical emergency. If the Emergency Service is responding to a call in Meadview when you have an accident near Hover Dam, it can take over four hours for EMS to arrive. The dam is also known from numerous films and video games, such as Fallout: New Vegas (one of my favorites) and GTA: San Andreas. On the way the Hoover Dam, we saw a strange structure next to the street. Our guide said, that this belongs to the Vegas Loop. Elon Musk’s Boring Company is constructing a planned 68-mile tunnel system beneath Las Vegas where drivers will ferry passengers around the urban core in Teslas. There is also a new Train planned, that will only need 2h18min from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. This would help many people, who have to rely on Airplanes to reach Las Vegas. 

I was especially looking forward to Area 51. Many legends surround this place and conspiracy theories revolve around aliens and secret underground laboratories. The following extraordinary activities allegedly took place or are taking place there:

• Storage, examination, and reverse engineering of crashed alien spacecraft (including material from an object that allegedly crashed near Roswell in 1947), the investigation of their respective crews (dead or alive), and the manufacture of aircraft based on extraterrestrial technology. In 1989, Robert Lazar claimed in several TV interviews to have worked on secret projects at a research facility called S4 near Papoose Salt Flats in Area 51.

• Meetings and secret discussions with extraterrestrial life forms.

• Development of exotic energy weapons (for the Strategic Defense Initiative or other applications, such as weather control).

• Activities related to an alleged shadow government of the world by the Illuminati and other secret societies.

• Secret film studios where the footage of the Apollo landings on the moon was allegedly filmed.

The existence of the restricted area was officially kept secret for decades and was only confirmed by the US intelligence agency, the CIA, in August 2013. The US Air Force is testing new experimental aircraft in the restricted area, which explains the sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFO's). Area 51 borders the former Nevada Test Site, where the US Department of Energy conducted well over 1,000 nuclear weapons tests after the first atomic bomb test at the Trinity Site in New Mexico. Groom Lake was an ideal takeoff and landing site for the difficult-to-handle U2 test aircraft in the 1950s, and the mountain ranges and the already closed-off Nevada Test Site hid the secret aircraft from public view. On the way to Area 51 we made a stop at the Las Vegas Airport, where he showed us the Airplanes by Janet Airlines. It is the unofficial name for a classified fleet of US Air Force passenger aircraft that transport military personnel, Department of Defense civilians, and contractors to secure facilities, including Area 51. These aircraft are operated by clandestine contractors on behalf of the Air Force. As of 2015, the Janet fleet consists of six Boeing 737-600s painted white with a prominent red cheatline. The name "Janet" is not an official designation, but rather a nickname, with possible meanings including "Just Another Non-Existent Terminal". Due to its secrecy, Janet airlines boards at a standalone terminal on the west side of Harry Reid International Airport. Our guide was a Air Force Pilot and landed once his Airplane in Area 51. He even knew Berlin, he landed in my hometown when the Airport Tempelhof was still open. He said, that during his first flight to Area 51 there was a Chief Master Sergeant sitting behind him making sure that he land at the right spot, doesen't ask to many questions and stay where he is supposed to be.

We drove along Groom Lake Road to the gate, where we found barbed wire, cameras, and a car with security guards on a hill. These are called "Camo Dudes," armed security personnel in camouflage clothing. According to our guide, they are mostly ex-military personnel who control access to the site with sensors, cameras, and patrols. We drove on the Extraterrestrial Highway, a section of Nevada Route 375, a 98 mile stretch known for Alien Sightings. The nearest civilian settlement outside Area 51 is the small village of Rachel; it has become a pilgrimage destination for conspiracy theorists and ufologists. Rachel was founded in May 1973 by a local farmer. On February 15, 1978, the town was renamed to Rachel after the first baby born in the valley, Rachel Jones (1978–1980). The baby unfortunately died two years later. In 1996, the producers of the movie Independence Day gave the town a time capsule, which is installed near the inn and is intended to be opened in 2050. We visited the "Little A’Le’Inn". It has been family owned and operated for more than 25 years. Visitors can peruse photos of alleged, first-person UFO accounts, sip on Alien Amber Ale, eat an delicious Alien Burger and sleep in the attached motel. It even appears in the game GTA: San Andreas as "Lil' Probe'Inn". In 2019, some Internet pranksters had the idea that if enough people gathered outside the gates of Area 51, “They Can’t Stop All of Us.” More than 2 million people joined the the event on social media, but fewer than 200 people showed up on the day of the event. No one actually attempted to storm the gates, they just camped and left much trash in the desert. Next to the restaurant, which sells lots of alien merchandise, is a large salt lake ("Sand Spring Valley Saltlake"). Sitting here and seeing a vast, empty, glowing white expanse stretching into the distance is a truly fascinating sight. It also becomes clear why the Air Force tests aircraft on a salt lake: the solid, smooth surface is like a natural runway. Car speed records are also set on salt lakes like the one in Salt Lake City. You can take very nice photos here! On the way back, we drove past the Creech Air Force Base. It is a key installation for U.S. military drone operations, housing operators who pilot remotely piloted aircraft like the MQ-9 Reaper for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike missions globally.

Along the way, we saw some cows that had died of thirst in the dry conditions. The dangers of the desert should not be underestimated.

Death Valley - the hottest place on earth. On July 10, 1913, the National Weather Service measured a temperature of 56.7 °C (134 °F) at Greenland Ranch, which is the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth. In 2021, a temperature of 54.4 °C (130 °F) was measured using modern measurement technologies, which, unlike the 1913 measurement, is undisputed.  On July 12, 2012, the highest night-time temperature in the world at the time was measured in Death Valley at 41.7 °C (107 °F).

The lowest point is 85.95 meters below sea level, making it the lowest accessible point in North America. Death Valley is surrounded by several mountain ranges, the highest being the Panamint Range with the 3366 m high Telescope Peak. Although Death Valley is only a few hundred kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, it is one of the driest areas on earth. This is due to the fact that the moist winds on their way from the Pacific Ocean rain down on five mountain ridges before they can pass over the area of the park.  Death Valley was designated a National Monument in 1933. In 1994, it was greatly expanded and upgraded to a national park. On 20 February 2011, the national park was recognized as an International Dark Sky Park; since then, the light protection area has also been called Death Valley International Dark Sky Park. It is by far the largest such protected area in the USA and the second largest in the world. We set off early at 3:30 a.m. to admire the stars and the Milky Way here at night - we even saw Shooting stars!. What a beautiful, unobstructed view!

The valley got its name after two groups of travelers with a total of about 100 wagons sought a shortcut of the Old Spanish Trail in 1849 and ended up in the valley ("Death Valley 49ers"). After weeks of not finding a way out of the valley and being forced to eat several of their oxen (using the wood from their wagons as firewood), they abandoned their remaining wagons and left the valley via Wingate Pass. As they did so, one of the women in the group turned and called out to the valley, “Goodbye, Death Valley”. The valley is rich in metals such as gold and silver, as well as minerals such as talc and borax. For many years, a mining company operated here, extracting borax for soap production. One of the few permanent inhabitants of Death Valley has always been the small colony of Timbisha Shoshone near the hotel oasis of Furnace Creek. The Timbishas are the southernmost closed tribal group of the Western Shoshone Indians. Coyotes roam around, we saw a coyote that walked up to our car and expected us to feed it. We visited some impressive places:

• Zabriskie Point: A surreal-looking erosion landscape with yellow and ochre-colored hills. You have a great view from up here.

• Dantes View: We marveled at the sunrise over Death Valley from up here. The viewpoint rises 1699 meters above the Badwater Basin on the crest of the Black Mountains. You can easily reach the point by car. In Star Wars Episode 4, Obi Wan looks down on Tatooine with Luke and the droids and says: "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious". Although the first filming of Tatooine took place in Tunisia, Death Valley was chosen for further scenes, partly because of the logistical advantages it offered. For example, Mardji, an elephant from San Francisco, was brought in to play a Bantha, a creature native to Tatooine. Panoramic views of Death Valley were also used in the grandiose series “The Mandalorian”.

• Artists Palette: A winding road leads through hills whose colors were caused by oxidation of various metals - green, violet, pink. There is a beautiful lighting mood in the afternoon. A scene in Star Wars (R2D2 drives alone across Tatooine in the evening) was filmed here. Twenty Mule Team Canyon, not far away, was transformed into a backdrop for Jawas catching droids. 

• Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes: Near Stovepipe Wells are these classic shifting sand dunes. The place was used in Star Wars 4 as the Great Pit of Carkoon, the home of Sarlacc. R2D2 and C3PO also travel through this desert. “Attack of the Clones” (2002) featured footage of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker approaching a wetland farm on Tatooine and was also filmed in the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. The sand was really hot! We could only touch the sand for a really short time. The guide said, that when it is 120 Fahrenheit, the sand will be 160 Fahrenheit (71 Degree Celsius) hot! 

• Furnace Creek Visitor Center: The central hub for visitors to Death Valley. At the visitor center, you can talk to park rangers, get maps, secure yourself before hikes and buy souvenirs. There is an extensive exhibition with a 20-minute film about Death Valley, restrooms and a room for lectures and events. Right next door is “The Oasis”, a resort for tourists, a campsite and the lowest golf course in the world.

If you want to relax along the way, you can enjoy the delicious breakfast buffet at the Toll Road Restaurant. 

Do you know those mysterious rocks that appear to move on their own? This phenomenon was also featured in Pirates of the Caribbean 3. You can find them here in the "Racetrack Playa." No one has ever saw the rocks moving, yet they leave a path behind them and regularly change position. Erosion forces cause rocks from the surrounding mountains to tumble onto the surface of the racetrack. Once they reach the bottom of the playa, the stones move across the flat surface, leaving traces of their movements. Some of the moving stones are large and have traveled up to 450 meters. Over the years, many theories have been put forward to explain the mystery of these rock movements. Researchers' observations show that the movement of the stones requires a rare combination of events. First, the playa fills with water, which must be deep enough to allow formation of floating ice during cold winter nights but shallow enough to expose the rocks. As nighttime temperatures plummet, the pond freezes to form sheets of "windowpane" ice, which must be thin enough to move freely but thick enough to maintain strength. On sunny days, the ice begins to melt and break up into large floating panels, which light winds drive across the playa pool. The ice sheets shove rocks in front of them and the moving stones leave trails in the soft mud bed below the pool surface.

Our guide told numerous stories from Death Valley—most of them, unfortunately, tragic. The Barker Ranch in Death Valley became known as the last hideout of Charles Manson after his murders in Los Angeles. It was here that he and other members of his cult were arrested in 1969. In 1996, a family of four from Germany disappeared in Death Valley. The family consisted of 34-year-old architect Egbert Rimkus, his 11-year-old son Georg Weber, Rimkus's 27-year-old girlfriend Cornelia Meyer, and their 4-year-old son Max Meyer, all from Dresden. The family had booked a return flight from Los Angeles to Germany on July 27, 1996, but there was no evidence that they had taken the flight or left the United States. Their car was discovered with three flat tires in October 1996. There were intensive searches, but it wasn't until 2009 that the remains of the parents were discovered by hikers. The remains of the children were never officially discovered. Tom Mahood, a search and rescue expert who found the remains, has put forward a theory. He speculates that on July 23, 1996, while vacationing in Death Valley, the family, short on time and planning to visit Yosemite National Park on their way back to Los Angeles, attempted a shortcut to Yosemite, underestimating its difficulty. He theorized that they had seen an AT&T cell tower and approached it for help. However, during his fieldwork, he determined that the tower had not been visible from their route. Mahood then investigated the theory that after their vehicle became stuck, the family headed south on foot to seek help at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. There, they may have expected to find a well-guarded fence, a typical feature of military bases in Germany, but not of military bases in the desert areas of the southwestern United States. The family likely succumbed to heatstroke (average high temperature in July of 46.9°C), dehydration, and lack of shelter halfway to the base. In 2022, a car driver died after running out of gas while walking to seek help. In July 2024, a German motorcyclist died in Death Valley National Park from extreme heat. He was part of a group of six traveling near Badwater Basin when temperatures soared above 50°C. Another biker was hospitalized with severe heat illness. Badewater got his name because early settlers found the spring-fed pool in the area to be too salty for their mules to drink, with one surveyor reportedly noting the water as "bad water" on his map. In May 2025, a truck driver died when his semi-trailer crashed into the historic Emigrant Ranger Station in Death Valley National Park, a building where Stan Jones wrote the song "Ghost Riders in the Sky" in 1948 (the inspiration for the Johnny Cash song of the same name). The accident occurred on CA-190, presumably due to brake failure on the steep slopes of Towne Pass. It caused significant damage to the building and a temporary closure of the highway.

We no longer drive for days through the desert in unprotected covered horse-wagons; instead, we have air-conditioned cars, cell phones, and GPS. Despite the latest technology, the valley is still a dangerous place. Between 2007 and 2024, 68 people died in Death Valley! Check with the rangers before hiking, bring plenty of water, and pay attention to the warning signs! 

Padre Crowley Point is located on the western edge of Death Valley National Park. From here, you can enjoy views of the Panamint Valley. Father John J. Crowley, a Catholic priest who was in charge of pastoral care for the people of Inyo County in the 1930s, often stopped here on his way from his home in Lone Pine to his parishioners in Death Valley. He was therefore called the "Desert Padre." In recent years, Rainbow Canyon has been nicknamed "Star Wars Canyon" by visitors who used the overlook to observe and photograph the military test flights taking place there. Star Wars Canyon is part of the R-2508 complex, which has been in military use since the 1930s. Sadly, a plane crash occurred in the canyon in 2019, killing the pilot and injuring seven visitors from France at the overlook. Interpretive signs at the overlook honor the deceased pilot.

The Alabama Hills in Lone Pine are very beautiful. They are a rocky landscape with rounded granite formations. The Mobius Arch, a natural stone arch with a view of Mount Whitney, is well-known. In Gladiator, Maximus, who escaped execution in Germania, rides two horses to Spain to save his family. The ride was not filmed in Spain, but here in the Alabama Hills. Django Unchained, Iron Man, Tremors (where they seek shelter from the worms on the rocks), Man of Steel, Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Stark Trek Generations, and The Final Frontier were also filmed here. The "Movie Road Scenic Drive" offers beautiful views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Near the entrance to Death Valley lies the town of Rhyolite. The town was founded in early 1905 as one of several mining districts. During the Gold Rush, thousands of prospectors, developers, miners, and service providers flocked here. Many settled in Rhyolite, which was located in a protected desert basin near the Montgomery Shoshone Mine, the region's largest producer. Charles Schwab bought the mine and invested in its infrastructure. By 1907, Rhyolite had electric lights, a railroad, plumbing, telephones, newspapers, a hospital, a school, an opera house, and a stock exchange. Our tour guide told us there were over 50 saloons here! In 1907/08, the population was estimated at 3,500 to 5,000. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the financial crisis of 1907, and an investigation that found the mine overvalued led to a crash in the company's stock price. By the end of 1910, the mine was operating at a loss and closed in 1911. By that time, many unemployed miners had already left, and Rhyolite's population had fallen well below 1,000. By 1920, it was almost zero. After 1920, Rhyolite and its ruins became a tourist attraction and film set. Most of the buildings fell into disrepair, and usable building materials were taken to nearby Beatty to build a school. However, the train station and the Tom Kelly Bottle House, built by an artist in 1906 mainly from empty bottles, were repaired and preserved. He paid children three dollar for one wheelbarrow full of glasbottles to build his house. Today, only ruins remain: a dilapidated bank, a school, a jail, the bottle house, and the train station building. A beautiful atmosphere! Looking at pictures of the large settlement, it's hard to believe how little of the vibrant town remains. Numerous films have been shot in Rhyolite, including "The Island", "Cherry 2000," and "Six-String Samurai".

While you're here, don't miss the Goldwell Open Air Museum. This nonprofit museum was founded in 2000 after the death of Albert Szukalski, the Belgian artist who created the site's first sculptures in 1984 near the abandoned train station in Rhyolite. The Last Supper sculpture consists of ghostly, life-sized forms arranged like those in Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper." Szukalski formed his shapes by draping plaster-soaked burlap over live models until the plaster dried enough to stand on its own. In the 1990s, Hugo Heyrman added "Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada," a female sculpture made of colorful pixels like something from an old video game. There are other works of art, as well as a small shop that sells cards and art for donations. In Lauren Rocket's music video "Diamond Nights," many scenes were filmed in Rhyolite and the Open Air Museum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgKh0RVlE2U

After a long tour through Death Valley, we drove up Mount Whitney. At 4,421 meters, it is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States (outside of Alaska). It is located in the Sierra Nevada near Lone Pine. Of course, we didn't climb to the summit, but drove to the Mount Whitney Trailhead. The mountain road up offers beautiful views of the valley; the transition from desert to more and more vegetation, all the way to the green forest at the trailhead, is fascinating to watch. We were sweaty and thirsty, and when we reached the top, we drank from the clear, ice-cold stream and washed our faces with it. Snow lies on the mountaintop, which melts and fills the stream that flows down a waterfall at the trailhead. From here, you can hike up the mountain or get some refreshments at the store. After a day in the desert, I felt like I'd finally reached an oasis. The air is much cooler, and you just want to lie in the shade by the waterfall and relax. A paradise! Of course, our tour guide told us a tragic story here as well. The story of the Donner Party, which is also mentioned in the film "The Shining" with Jack Nickolson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RJm4iynxU0

The Donner Party originally consisted of about 87 men, women, and children from Illinois and Missouri who joined in April 1846 the westward march to California. They followed the California Trail. In Wyoming, they left the proven path and followed the Hasting Cutoff, a shortcut recommended by pioneer Lansford Hastings. He recommended the trail without having traveled the recommended route himself, and he was apparently unaware of the difficulties of crossing the Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Desert in western Utah. He advertised that his overland route was faster and better than any other. The Donner Party lost valuable weeks in the Utah Salt Flats, where they struggled with dehydration, heat, and exhaustion. Then came the arduous mountain passes in Nevada. When they finally arrived at the Sierra Nevada in October 1846, they were severely delayed. Near present-day Donner Lake (then Truckee Lake), they were snowed in. The snow was several meters deep, and the pass was impassable. The group built makeshift huts and tried to survive the winter. Supplies quickly ran out. Livestock died or were slaughtered. Soon the people were starving. Some died of cold and exhaustion. A group of 17 people, known as the "Forlorn Hope", attempted to find help on foot in December. Only seven survived the trek over the mountains. Hunger and desperation led them to resort to cannibalism along the way. It wasn't until February 1847, after more than four months in the snow, that the first relief parties reached the survivors. Of the original 87 members of the Donner Party, 48 survived. The public was shocked by the reports of cannibalism and the tragic fate of the settlers. Our guide told us, that not far away in the White Mountains, you can find really old trees. The mountains are home to some of the oldest living non-clonal organisms on Earth: the Great Basin bristlecone pines, with some trees exceeding 4,500 years of age. These ancient trees thrive in the harsh, high-altitude alpine desert conditions of the Inyo National Forest, particularly in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. The most famous among them is Methuselah, a bristlecone pine estimated to be around 4,855 years old.