Viva Las Vegas

Since we were in LA anyway and they rented a convertible (particularly a Chrysler Sebring), Thomas and Ronald suggested to drive to Las Vegas on Sunday and return on Monday. So we went on a road trip to the City of Sin. It takes only 4,5 hours to drive there and there are plenty of Starbucks along the road, so we actually had quite a lot of fun driving there. We stayed at the Stratosphere hotel which is well-known for its 350-meter high tower. I have a slight problem with heights, but we did go up and enjoyed a spectacular view from the open balcony. Quite a challenging endeavor since the tower is actually swinging back and forth all the time.

We spend most of the day trawling along The Strip and getting surprised by the awesome hotels. Especially The Venetian is really impressive. They've essentially duplicated large parts of Venice, including a really impressive indoor canal where the roof looks like an genuine open sky with clouds and all.

Unlike the rumors, Las Vegas is less hysterical than I expected. Obviously, you'll find casinos everywhere (and with everywhere I mean everywhere, even at tank stops), but the atmosphere is quite relaxed. We enjoyed some beers and tacos along the indoor canal, and had dinner at one of the food courts you'll find in the many hotels. After we returned to the hotel, Thomas decided to go to bed, but me and Ronald still had some energy left to go visit a night club. After a 2-km walk we ended up at the Lavo Nightclub and enjoyed two beers for 17 dollars (!), but the fatigue caught on us quite promptly. We must be getting old...