A walk through an entire American city is already a minor adventure. Here, even a coffee run sometimes assumes the presence of a car, and a pedestrian occasionally feels like a person who misunderstood the rules of the game.
On our way, we passed by an ordinary private house. Well, almost ordinary. Pomegranates were growing on its territory, which Angelina was very surprised by. While she was examining the tree, peacocks were strolling nearby quite calmly.
-Look, pomegranates are growing here!
-And the peacocks don't bother you at all?
Apparently, after two months in Arizona, some things stop raising questions. Peacocks in the yard - it happens. But pomegranates - that's truly unexpected.
Our next stop was Sedonuts - a local donut shop whose name perfectly explains where we are and what is sold here. After a long walk, the donuts were not just a dessert but a well-deserved reward. Then we took a shuttle and headed to Sedona to watch the new "Spider-Man".
The cinema itself turned out to be almost more interesting than the film. It looked as if it had opened sometime in the 80s and decided not to fundamentally change anything since then: a small hall, an old-fashioned interior, and the atmosphere of a cinema from an American movie - only now we had come there to watch an American movie.
The most unexpected thing happened at the box office. We showed our European ISIC student cards - and they actually gave us a discount.
It turns out a document issued in Slovakia proved useful in a small cinema in the middle of Arizona. International student status works in the most unexpected places.
After the movie, we went to another local landmark - that very McDonald’s with the blue arches.
Usually, the company logo is yellow everywhere, but in Sedona, the familiar color did not fit the local requirements for the appearance of buildings. Therefore, the arches were made turquoise so that they would harmonize with the surrounding landscape and not stand out too much against the red rocks.
Thus, an ordinary McDonald’s became one of the most photographed restaurants in the chain. Inside, everything is about the same as in any other, but you still have to take a photo of the sign. Otherwise, why come at all?
In the end, our ordinary day off included a walk through all of Cottonwood, pomegranates and peacocks in one yard, donuts, a shuttle ride, a retro cinema, a European student discount, and a blue McDonald’s.
No great landmarks or complex route. Just a rather strange but very Arizonan day.