Chicago

Today was the last day of the trip, we are finally going to reach Chicago, where we are going to spend the next 2 months. We had breakfast at the hotel in St. louis, the best breakfast buffet in the trip! They had fresh fruit and hot meals, oatmeal and greek yoghurt and waffles and omelettes coocked for you in the moment by a cook.

We drove to Chicago then, also to return the rented car we drove from New York. It lasted about 5 hours today, and at 2 o'clock we where there already. Nevetherless, it was difficult to find a gas station in downtown, and also to find the car hire with alot of traffic. After lefting the car, we went eating to Giordano's, a very famous italian restaurant where they are well known for their pizzas.

Then, we went to our hotel, that is going to be our next one the next whole week. It is a nice room, and it is located in the highest floor! After lefting our baggage we went to buy grocery at a supermarket and came back to relax a little bit in the room. Then, we searched for schools to Matías and me, and accordd to go to an interview tomorrow.

Memphis - Saint Louis

After having breakfast, we went to Memphis downtown to see the city. At first, we saw the peabody ducks, a group of ducks that march every day 11 and 17 o'clock to a fountain inside the hotel. They had been doing this more than 80 years, with only 5 duck-masters yet! Also, they had a piano that played itself without any musician.

After that, we saw the street full of restaurants playing blues at night, but it were silent at that moment. Then, we saw the "pyramid", a huge mall with living alligators and many types of fish. We bought a couple of things there and went back to the hotel. After picking up our things, we saw inside the car Graceland, the place where Elvis Presley lived.

We continued driving, entering Arkansas. We ate there at an Hardee's and eventually reaching Saint Louis, Missouri. Desadortunately, we had confused the date of reservarion, booking the 30th of Agust! We booked then another hotel, near the one we took at first. Finally, we swam a bit in the swimming pool of the hotel and then relaxed in the room.

Memphis

Today, we woke up and ate breakfast, so we could go to our next destination; Memphis, Tenessee. That means that we are going straight up north, back to Chicago. While in the road, we stopped in a city called Vicksburg, in Mississippi, that had a very important role in the civil war, from 1861 to 1865.

It lays in a very strathegic position; in in a bank where the Mississippi river bends, so it controls that part of it. It was controlled by the Confederate states, so if The Union could take city, they could split in two the Confederates. Therefore, they could make it difficult to their enemy to get supplies for the war; and so they did. They surrendered in July 4th, so for many years the city has not celebrared that day due to their defeat in the Civil War.

We saw the visitor's center where they were projecting a short movie so we could inderstand it better. The citizens of the town had to live in caves under it to protect themselves of the war.

Later, we took the car and drove around the battelfield that was full of hills, making it very difficult to conquer. We saw the only house from that time that remains in our days.

We ate in a restaurant called Chestnut Hills, named after the place it was. It comes from the anglisation of the spanish word "nogales", given by the spanish when they first discovered this part of America. We took then the car again to drive to our hotel in Memphis, and it took us in all 7 hours trip. Tonavoidbtraffic, we drove in a smaller road where we could see many nice houses and towns, and eventually deers. It began also to rain, this time with thunder and lightning.

When we came to the hotel, we relaxed after the long day in the car and planned what to do tomorrow morning in Memphis.

New Orleans II

Today, after having breakfast in our hotel, we decided to go to a swampland near the city to see the local wildlife (including alligators). For this purpose, we visited the Jean Lafitte National Park, wich had paths over the swamp where you could see the animals and plants of the terrain.

As we reached the place, the first impression was seeing a flock of gray vultures in the road, so close to us that we could stay out the car and take pictures. After arriving in the visitor's center, the guard gave to Matías a brochure so he could complete it when he saw especific animals and trees in the swamp. I grabed the camera and I took pictures of every animal species we saw; this includes many types of drafonflies, lizards, frogs, crickets, spiders and birds. We could even take photos of an alligator just in front of us!

We had to dug often because huge spiders had made their cobweb near our heads, but also be quiet to see as much wildlife as we could. We had also to wear long pants and spray ourselves with mosquito-repellent and sunscreanin order to prevent being stung and sunburnt. The humidity was so high that we sweat a lot during the visit, good we brought some water in the car.

After the visit, we ate at Dooky Chase, a famous restaurant where many celebrities (including Obama, Bush and the Pope Benedict XVI) have dinned. We took the buffet as lunch, but the meal I best liked was the gumbo soup and the dessert, wich was a peach cobbler.

After eating, we went again to the city center to see a market with stands selling handmade products. We strolled around the riverfront and went to Bourbon street again, and then we bought some fruit and bread to dinner.

New Orleans I

Today we tried again to go to the beach, but it was still duble-red flag, so ee drove after eating breakfast to Lousiana. We passed throu Alabama and Mississippi, and then finally reached New Orleans. The trip was exhausting, so we went eating lunch just after arrive. This time we did in Willie Mae's, known for serving America's best fried chicken. Although it wasn't refined, the meal tasted very good.

We went to our hotel room to relax a bit to then go to the city center. The city has a multi-cultural background; it was founded by the french and administered by the spanish in the 18th century. That makes it the most european city in the U.S., as well as the most african and caribbean as well. The french quartier (actually built by spaniards) is a very nice neighbourhood full of housew with wrought iron balconies and gardens, with a mixture of spanish and french style and jazz musicians playing in the streets. The street signs were in both english and french, but they were some conmemorative plates that showed the old spanish name.

When we strolled in the riverfront, we saw a steamboat with live music departing to make a tour in the Mississippi river. When we wanted to go back, a very long train avoided us to cross and it took 10 minutes to pass. Later, we saw the famous Café du monde and their beignets, and then we bought a couple of souvenirs to our fridge in a shop.

When we came back to the french quartier, we noticed they were shooting a film in one of the pubs in the street with bars, called the Bourbon street. The ambient was great, every pub had jazz music and blues; you have to be there to capt how it is.

Finally, we ate diner at the room and we planned what to do tomorrow.

Valdemar

Savannah-Saint Agustine

After leaving early from Charleston more south, we reached savannah, Georgia, a nice city with beautiful squares and avenues full of trees with spanish moss falling from their branches. One of those squares was the place where some scenes of Forrest Gump was filmed! 

Later, we sropped to eat near the border between Georgia an Florida in a restaurant called Sony's, where we ate barbecued-styled pulled pork. When we finally reached Florida, we saw from the road Jacksonville, the state's most populous city. 

After a while, we arrived in St. Agustine, the very first settlement in America that reminds today. But first, we went to Vilano beach, suposed to be visited by sea turtles and manatees. Like yesterday, the water is much warmer than in Spain, being the same ocean! 

Then, after spending a couple of hours there, we visited the city of Saint Agustine, visiting a spanish fort, called "Castillo de San Marcos" and probably the only monument in honour of the spanish constitution of 1812 in the western hemisphere. Also, we saw the oldest existing house in North America!

At last, we went to an outlet to buy some clothes near our hotel. Then, tomorrow, we are going to go to the Mexican Gulf and some beaches in the floridan part of it.

Valdemar

Charleston II

Today is our second day in Charleston, and we began our day visiting a plantation called Middleton Plantation, a garden-museum from the 18th century. It is full of exotic trees and bushes and many types of birds, butterflies, dragonflies and even alligators!

In our trip so far we have seen also alot of squirrels, mostly in parks and gardens, but also a great variety of small birds (cardinals, grackels, mockingbirds...) and big ones (such as pelicans and many types of vultures and hawks).

In this case, there were in the garden mute swans, ibis, herons, etc. And in a pond also alligators! We saw a few of them by having their noses outside the water while swimming.

We took some guided tours to understand better how it was in the colonial time; the first one was about the botannic point of view, the second one explaining the animals in the stables and the last one (and longest) was about the slaves that served in the property. It was interesting to know te types of them, the historical view of the issue and in which conditions they came to America. Later, we saw the rice plantations and saw why it was so dangerous to work there, mainly due to the mosquitos, alligators and more than 65 types of poisonous snakes).

The garden itself had a lot of smaller portions, normally with a geometrical shape; the  owners played games on the lawn. The stables were great too! They had water buffalos, hogs comming from Europe (most probably from Spain, du to their black skin), peacocks, horses, sheep and goats, etc.

Then, after seeing this plantations, we went to Charleston center to eat lunch, and we did in a restaurant called Fleet Landing, eating typical southern meals (based on she-crab soup, french sausages and schrimps and grit). 

After that, we went to Folly beach, a very good one in an island very close to Charleston. While we swam, we could see pelicans flying in row above us, a very nice view! Actually, the beach was very good, and so was the sand. Matías found an oyster in the sand, and I found some shells.

Finally, we went once again to the grocery of yesterday to buy some food for dinner and then to go a little around the city.

Valdemar

Charleston I

We are in Charleston! We have arrived after a 7-hour trip from Virginia to South Carolina (After passing throu North Carolina as well). We ate at the route in a Zaxby's some fried chicken and we drove again to reach our hotel. We were so tired that we needed to swim in the swimming-pool.

Later this evening, we took the hotel shuttle to the downtown, that is filled with beautiful tree-houses and churches in many colors, with a nice waterfront to the river Ashley.

The van left us in the promenade and we strolled around it. We saw a pineapple-shaped fountain, as well as historical houses that are in the property of the same family for more than 250 years. 

Charleston is the oldest and second-largest city in the state of South Carolina, as well as the biggest slave market until 1850's.

After walking around the city, we went to buy some groceries at a supermarket to the dinner and the breaksfast, and then we were picked up by the shuttle once again.

Valdemar 

Williamsburg II

We are still in Williamsbourg, and today we have spent the whole day in the old town, a fully restored city of the colonial time. Each house was dedicated to a profession and there were people disguised as colonial citizens.

Some of the houses were, for example, the shoemaker, jeweler, candelmaker, aphotecary, cooper, tailor, silversmith, etc. It was fun to enter inside them and hear the history of all of them, but specially the coffeehouse, where we received a cup of coffee that tasted really good!

We saw also the courthouse, used to judge minder fellonies, while the capitol was to the mmore serious ones as well as the place where the house of delegates where localized. We saw the church and some taverns too, and even the governor's palace.

Then, we played old-fashioned games, the children played in that time. After eating in a mexican restaurant, we came back to the city center again to see some events, as a speech of James Madison and a visit to the art museums where I learnt about 18th century collectors and their cabinet of curiosities. These are their collections of birds or plants they collected while exploring the New World. During my visit, my parents and Matías went to see other monuments.

Finally, we saw a parade of militians, firing their bayonnets and even a cannon twice. Meanwhile, some other soldiers played melodies with the the flute. At last, we went back to our hotel room; we have to relax, due to the long car-trip to reach the next city.

Valdemar

Williamsburg I

After eating breakfast and driving to the next destination, we reached our hotel in Williamsburg, a town who has a fully restored city-center of the 18th century. We had just left the luggage when we drove again to the beach in the nearest coast, Yorktown. The sand was OK, but the water was not that clean, maybe due to the beach was in a river estuary. We did not go deep in the water because we saw jellyfish and they can be dangerous.

Yorktown was one of the first settlements in North America and it is known as the site of the siege and subsecuent surrender of the british forces to George Washington in the american revolutionary war.

Later, we ate oyster-sandwiches at a restaurant in the coastline. Just after lunch we drove back to the hotel to relax and swim at the hotel pool. Then, in the afternoon, we went to an outlet in the same city to look for some clothes. At last, we returned to the hotel for resting, because tomorrow we are going to visit the old town of Williamsburg.

Valdemar

Washington, D.C. II

Today, we took again the subway to go to the city center, this time to see the memorial monuments that lie in "the National Mall". At first we visited the Washington Monument, a marble-obelisk more than 165 meters tall that is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk.

After that, we continued walking throu the park, seeing some amazing birds and plants. In one edge, we entered the Lincoln Memorial, with a giant sculpture of hiself in marble. We saw then other memorials (the Vietnam veteran memorial, the Martin Luther King memorial, etc. ), and also the white House far away from the outside, and we went to the capitol that were on the other edge of the very large National Mall. 

While going to that building, I noticed how many of the statal structures had marble columns simulating old Greece; this can be due to the neoclasicism in the period they were built or be cause it reminds to Greece, where the democracy was born.

Once in the Capitol (that were under restorarion), we took a guided tour where we were informed about how and when it was built and how it works currently. We walked also to the congressional library, world's largest one.

When it was lunch time, we ate in a suburb at an asiatic restaurant. The portions were very big, and the food tasted good. Later, we went back to downtosn looking for a museum; this time the American history. We saw many american inventions and people that helped evolving the society. The museum was very didactive and easy to understand what they were talking about.

At last, we returned to the town where our hotel is located, Alexandria. We strolled in the waterfront and in the streets full of beautiful old houses. Then, we returned to the hotel room after walking around 25 km!

Valdemar

Washington, D.C. I

Today, we woke up and took the car to reach our new destination; Washington, D.C. We crossed many states, such as Delaware, Maryland or Virginia (actually our hotel is located in Virginia). 

After leaving our baggage in our room, we took the subway to the city center. Once there, we looked after "the National Mall", wich is the area from the Lincoln memorial to the Capitol, forming a park between these monuments. While going to our first museum, the air and space one, we saw a lot of food trucks, all parked in line ready for costumers to come.

Once in the mentioned museum, we saw all the history of planes and spaceships, and some famous ones like "the spirit of Saint Louis", in wich Lindberg crossed the Atlantic ocean for the first time in a solo travel. The whole museum is huge; when you come in to the main room you feel small compared to the big roofs filled with spacecraft of all eras. 

Later, we went to eat lunch at the cafeteria of another museum, the indian-american one, wich was american styled. After this, we visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, wich has inspired the movie "Night at the museum". We saw many expositions about animals, human evolution, dinosaurs, etc.

Finally, we bought some food in a grocery store and went home to the hotel.

Valdemar