Route 66 - Road of Dreams (45/59)

Route 66 - Road of Dreams (45/59)

Route 66 was the first continuous highway in America to stretch into the west of the continent. When the almost 4,000 km long road from Chicago to the Pacific was opened in 1926, the journey took a month to complete. During the Depression, thousands of impoverished farmers and their families took Route 66 westward in the hope of a better future. In the boom years following World War II, other travellers arrived: American tourists who wanted to get to know their own country and its natural wonders. Route 66 became the existential life experience for generations of Americans - and later through films and novels it took on legendary status in Europe too. The very sight of the famous road sign with the strip of asphalt stretching off into the distance conveys a feeling of freedom. And so Route 66 remains to this day a symbol of awakening and adventure. The most beautiful sections are in the western part of the route from New Mexico to the Pacific. It is there that modern day travellers will find most of the charm of the old Route 66: nostalgically weathered neon signs, motels from the fifties, colourful local diners. At the annual "Route 66" festival, car enthusiasts polish up their vintage cars and take to the longest section of the old road that is still maintained - after all Route 66 is also a monument to America's love affair with the automobile.This documentary from the "Distant Journeys" series explores the legend that is Route 66. In a mobile home, the filmmakers travel from Chicago to L.A., in search of the history and the stories of the old road.

Also available: 25 min version

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