![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YkEemo_b6YQ/Wf_vTSWMY3I/AAAAAAAAg9Q/7Qb17GsRMFwAVq5-ih08gEv8b7wIbmRIwCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_9211.JPG)
This was a very busy week. It started off with a seven hour road trip from
California to
Arizona. Thank goodness for air conditioning because the desert drive was 43,3 ℃ (110 ℉). Way hot, but that's Arizona in July.
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTywPXLi3d0/Wf_uKtIOwcI/AAAAAAAAg6E/z1r8NLm0Jg4UeXDQpkct9QsYt1pNwRW9gCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_9156.JPG)
On one of the days we went on a historic walking tour of the centre. It was interesting to see the "historic" sights. Of course here, historic means anything over 100 years.
In Europe, that's nothing.
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rQXlNdABOHQ/Wf_wa4S7ZPI/AAAAAAAAhAs/PeN7I42_FXQDEtKdueE0FzC9_OFX5QJqgCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_9263.JPG)
Shopping was something that left me gobsmacked at times. There are so many choices when it comes to shopping. I couldn't believe how many choices there were for something as simple as sandwich bread.
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cYmfXGFMvOk/Wf_wImu8vqI/AAAAAAAAg_o/ih_eXSfpdKwfo74vWYbDl-dvL5ZjDlpggCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_9246.JPG)
On one of the shopping trips to
Costco I noticed that they had Moravian cookies. It's funny that I actually live in
Moravia and have never seen biscuits like these.
![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SCpXdzCb3Dg/Wf_w-HAEGYI/AAAAAAAAhCQ/yZul6XvEASEMVpFogJDB6kro9fm4j4gBwCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_9333.JPG) |
"No chip yet" |
I noticed that my debit card worked but not quite the same way it works in Europe. Over here, debit and credit cards are chip-and-PIN cards. You enter your card and PIN. My bank card is contactless so in Europe I just waive my card over the terminal. I only need to use my PIN if the amount is over 500 Kč (~$22).
In the USA, chips have been added to cards only over the last couple of years. Cards here tend to be chip-and-signature cards. Even with the chip, the card is processed via the magnetic strip and then you provide a signature instead of using a PIN.
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W7HLWxUdGow/Wf_wNzxoFEI/AAAAAAAAg_4/1vZQSg_UtA46DiQOzM2BqBsz4ffcfoNFACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_9250.JPG)
One day we went to the movies. I was shocked to see a sign on the front door that said "No Firearms Allowed".
Incredible. In Arizona, unless a person has been convicted of a felony, anyone over 21 can legally carry a concealed gun.
It was great hanging out with my parents all week. One of my favourite days was our trip to the
Grand Canyon.
![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dwmyzv3G3LM/WghcNPzRCuI/AAAAAAAAhH8/VcSTWCwRpPEM44NoplrafsNiN0NmgnuMwCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_9288.JPG)
This was also my most stressful day. On the way I got a message from my boss letting me know that I needed to be in Connecticut for a Monday morning workshop. Fortunately, British Airways made it easy to change to my ticket to fly home a day early.
![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JrrW7rqd2IM/WgiJBQi5v2I/AAAAAAAAhIQ/3QsUe4iY798xS0wxU5Crf_ddcHZ_TVHrACLcBGAs/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-11-12%2Bat%2B18.46.23.png)
I ended up flying from Phoenix to London Heathrow to Vienna. I made it home at 11 PM Saturday. I had enough time for a long, hot shower, pack my suitcase, and grab my work laptop before catching 2:30 AM my bus back to Vienna Airport. Then an
Air Berlin flight to Düsseldorf and on to JFK. I haven't been to the USA in five years, now twice in a month, but I could have done without a 15 timezone trip to get to Connecticut.
No comments:
Post a Comment