Heeeeeere's Johnny

Just a quickie to say that I'm flying back on the 6th October.

I expect a welcoming party at Heathrow, or at the very least a limo.

Time Travel

Just a quick explanation: I've decided to back date all my posts to the time I was actually in the places I talk about. This is just so that when you read it, it all makes sense.

This might be a bit confusing for readers though.

So, a quick catch up from NOW (3rd Sept).

I'm currently in a place called Columbia, South Carolina. Just a stopping off point really - I'm actually quite sick of sightseeing (it's bloody hard work in the 90 degree heat!). So I'm currently just sitting in a Cafe in the trendy studenty area of town facing the ire of the barista for hogging a table and only drinking one coffee...

My next big adventure is that I'm volunteering on an Organic Farm for two weeks, starting Wednesday. I'm actually really looking forward to this: I've been getting fat and unfit from all the rich food and driving (I'm not kidding), so I'm looking forward to some more outdoorsy stuff. Also, staying in the same place for a long period and maybe getting to know people a bit better is quite attractive.

After those two weeks, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm actually a little bit sick of travelling solo, so I'll see how I feel. If I feel refreshed (!) from my two weeks labour, then I'll try and head north to see Washington and maybe New York. Otherwise, I might cut my trip short and head home.

Atlanta

tlanta, GA was the biggest city I had visited so far.

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I was staying in a really nice area called Virginia Highlands. This was a really young, hip area with lots of restaurants and bars, in a really leafy area, and, unusually, all within walking distance. It made a great base for my exploration of Atlanta.

It was quite rainy and cloudy while I was there, but it made for some great photos of down town Atlanta:

Atlanta is the birthplace of Coca-Cola so I visited the World of Coca-Cola. It was actually extremely disappointing. I felt they could have told a much more interesting story about the history, the manufacturing etc. They did have all that but it was so sanitised and superficial. I mean I guess I shouldn't have been surprised - this is Coca-Cola after all, but I was a little annoyed at paying to go and see essentially a glorified advertisement for Coke.

This is the safe where the recipe to Coca-Cola is kept. I'm calling bullshit on this. It was just a tourist exercise in my opinion. Why do I think this? Well, because with modern Cryptography one would imagine that it's encrypted anyway.

The Atlanta Aquarium, was on the other hand really excellent. It was actually a great balance of education and fun, in my opinion. There were plenty of "wow" factor with some incredible and huge marine animals, but also compact enough that you can see everything without getting bored.

Some more random pics of Atlanta, including the state capitol building.

Here is me singing in a "live Karaoke". It's basically Karaoke but with an awesome band playing backing. So, it's not all culture...

I, I, I'm still alive

(Pearl Jam)

Just a quick note to say I'm good, still alive etc.

Kind of ironic that in the US - home of the Internet - I'm blogging less. This is partly because believe it or not wifi is less prevalent than in central America, something I assume is because many people in the US have Internet on their mobiles.

Anyway, had a great time in New Orleans and am now in Atlanta, Georgia.

It's not how you think: actually staying in a very artsy students area.

Will post full entry about New Orleans soon.

(I still have my camera amazingly, although I did leave it on a bench in Montgomery, Alamaba for about 30 minutes - good job criminals don't frequent art museums).

Currently having a Scottish Ale and am about to visit a British Pub. I'm assuming I'll get a free drink or something.

Montgomery, Alabama

On my way from New Orleans to Atlanta (Georgia), I stopped off at a place called Montgomery, Alabama.

This was a Sunday and Alabama is a big churchgoing place which is I guess why it's so deserted...

Montgomery is actually the Alabama state capitol (though it's not the biggest city in the state). Some Amazing architecture here, all focused around the state capitol building.

Who says there ain't no culture in the deep south... I also visited an excellent art museum near Montgomery. I really like this piece:

Dubbya Dubba Two

(Note: The date on this post represents the day the photos were taken. I'm writing it on 31/08).

Here are some photos of my visit to the excellent WW2 museum in New Orleans.

This shows the relative size of the armies of the US before WW2. Each man represents 5000 soldiers. Note that the US is initially dwarfed by Japan and Germany. It's surprising that in the 30's the US military was tiny - behind many small European countries!

Love the caricatures here.

A life size model of an observation post for artillery used in Normandy.

Before D-Day the allies used dummy tanks to try and fool the enemy. This one was inflatable!

Hat of a British para from D-Day.

 

A black GI. Black US soldiers weren't allowed on the front line, but they could do support roles, like guarding POWs. Also there was a famous African American fighter pilot wing which did see front line combat.

New Orleans

Here are photos from my time in New Orleans.

It was a really beautiful town. There is some damage still left from Katrina, though this is mainly (and sadly) only in the poorer districts further away from the touristy areas.

Some Floridians I spoke to seemed to think that New Orleans was a dangerous place, presumably because they remember seeing so much looting and crime just after Katrina. It's very sad that they think this because they're totally wrong. New Orleans was very safe and friendly (though a bit raucous obviously!).

First some pics of the amazing architecture. Most of these were taken in the French Quarter (although actually only houses from the Spanish occupation remain - it's complicated).

Some random pics of the city:

 This was one of the highlights: I went to a small out of the way bar to see the Tremé brass band:

The cemeteries in New Orleans are really interesting. Because so much of it is below the water line, they can't bury bodies in the ground. Instead, bodies are interred in above ground concrete boxes. The bodies decompose in these boxes and the remains (bones) fall through holes in the bottom. So, each one can have dozens of people buried!

Music is obviously a big part of N.O. This is the Louis Armstrong park: a park which also houses several performing arts schools.

Some random pics.

 

Reconstruction is still going on after Katrina. Here is a house which was damaged. The blue markings on the wall are from the search and rescue groups to say they've checked the house. The reason it's taking so long to repair all these is actually because so many people have just upped and left N.O. Many of these people didn't have insurance, but technically still own the property. The city is now issuing ultimatums for many of these derelicts: if the owners don't repair them then the city will demolish the houses and sell off the lot.

 

And finally, this really made me laugh.

During the Civil War, N.O., along with the rest of Louisiana, ceded from the US and joined the Confederacy. This statue, raised several years before the war, was of the famous Southerner, President Andrew Jackson (not alive during the civil war). Anyway, when N.O. was recaptured by the Union, the governor, one Benjamin Butler, added to the statue the moniker "The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved". i.e., "Up yours New Orleans!". What a douche bag.

Interestingly, that extra bit is much fainter than the name of Andrew Jackson. I wonder if this is deliberate?