Oahu

Michael To escape the stupid TV chatter of the Austrian village idiot, we retreated to Hawaii for two weeks in September. On the flight there, we noticed that due to new FAA security regulations, the curtain between first and second class had to be removed - we laughed so much! So, those who pay three times the airfare or tie themselves to an airline with frequent flyer miles to snag an "upgrade" no longer even have the right to protection from the common folk in economy class, who then cheekily and unauthorizedly run to the first-class toilet - outrageous! Rumor has it that even Bill Gates doesn't fly first class because he doesn't see the point in shelling out exorbitant sums for the minor comfort difference. Probably one of the few areas where Bill Gates and I agree.

But back to Hawaii: This time we decided to explore urban Hawaii. After all, we're not getting any younger and need to scout out potential retirement homes. As seasoned travelers, we no longer stay in hotels in Hawaii; instead, we always rent small houses from private individuals.

We also explored the less attractive sides of Hawaii: The main island of Oahu, with the capital Honolulu, already shows some significant architectural sins. Honolulu always reminds me of San Jose, a typical American city, built up in the 50s and 60s without any historical context. As a result, an entire city can quickly end up looking like Landsbergerstraße in Munich.

However, if you head out to the east or up to the north coast, the concrete jungle disappears, and you're back in surfer's paradise. You hang out on beaches where mainly locals and surfers from all over the world who have retired from working life hang out. It's quite fascinating: on one hand, having a hut on the beach, and on the other, having a huge supermarket like "Costco" within reach, where you can buy a pack of 20 shrimp for 8 dollars, which you can quickly throw on the gas grill, naturally set up in front of the hut, and devour in no time. Oh yeah.