Since I was a little boy I've been fascinated by the USA, the country with the unlimited possibilies (and of course I wanted to become an astronaut with the NASA).
Little time later it became an absolute necessity to me to own a football and baseball gear, too. At the time American sports weren't too popular in Germany (as Germans usually are interested in soccer) and so that wasn't an easy task to fulfill as one couldn't just go to a shop and buy this stuff.
Eventually I began showing interest in cars as probably every boy grows into. Naturally for me (almost) only American classic cars were of any interest. Only a Porsche or something like that could also turn my attention to it.
When cable TV became available throughout Germany it suddenly was possible for everybody to follow American sports. Of course this increased my fascination for American Football. As the National Football League (NFL) expanded beneath the borders of the US by founding the WLAF (World League of American Football, which was later renamed to NFL Europe, and then consited only of european temas) there was also a German team created: the Frankfurt Galaxy. Naturally I didn't mind the three hours drive to Frankfurt in order to follow a football match for the first time of my life (Frankfurt was defeated 0 - 38 by Orlando Thunder).
When I became a teenager my wish to visit my 'Promised Land' got stronger and stronger. But unfortunatelly I don't have an aunt living in America as some others do and so it was not as easy (and as cheap) as visiting some relatives over there. So I saved money, made plans and when I was about to turn 18 I was ready to fly to the US for the first time. But of course it didn't work out since I became a letter from the German Defence Department that I have to join the Army (in Germany it is obligatory for every male to either join the military forces or do some wellfare job in a hospital or something similar for some time). So for the next year I was responsible for securing the borders and maintaining the independence of the German state against any villains that might want to conquer my home country...
After I was honorably released from the Army I began studying vehicle enginieering at the Ulm University of Advanced Sciences in southern Germany and therefore money was always tight for the next couple of years. Nevertheless after finishing the third semester it became finally true: Harry travelled to the USA for the first time.
After that I visited the US every other year for vacation or business matters. I'd like to share my personal impressions, experiences, recommendations and of course some pictures on the following pages:
