Back to the USA

Tuesday 12 October - Goodbye England - Hello America

After a huge day of travelling, one taxi, 2 planes, 2 trains, a shuttle bus and a golf buggy we were finally reunited with our RV in Washington DC.  A total of 21 hours travelling but it was so good to open the door and find everything where we left it.  Home sweet home.

Took a bus into Washington State and saw the famous White House,

 we were close enough to see two snipers on the roof of the building.   The police presence was phenomenal with more security guards than tourists.

 We loved walking around the Washington Monument and Capitol Hill and took photographs in the reflecting pool.   Again, so much to see.

Continued our journey to a little place called Glen Allen in Virginia.  I said, "This looks like a nice quiet town, let's sleep here tonight."   Mistake number one.   At 20 minute intervals, all through the night, Amtrak shattered the silence.  Woke up feeling like death warmed up.

Before we left Virginia we drove the RV into Richmond town and was very impressed with the Honesty Box in the car park.  We paid $4 using all our small coins.  It took ages to feed them into the machine one by one but what a good idea.

We spent hours in the Virginia Holocaust Museum - an amazing exhibition of stories, photographs and real life props.  We got the chance of standing in a pitch black cattle truck exactly the type used to transport Jews to the concentration camps.   We met the Museum Director, Jay Ipson, who spoke to us about his own experiences during the war.   Bought a book written by his mother, "Izzy's Fire" compelling reading.

USS Carolina Warship, North Carolina.  

We arrived late in the afternoon and unfortunately were not able to go on board.

 Instead we were fighting our own battle.....MOZZIES.....thousands of them.  The ship was docked in some swampy marshland and it was definitely breeding season!!!

Treated ourselves to a Dinner/show called "Dolly Partons Dixie Stampede" in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  It was very similar to the Great Australian Outback Show at the Gold Coast.   Lots of horse riding, cattle mustering and Ye-ha audience participation.  We drank sweet tea out of jam jars and ate everything with our fingers.  Our meal comprised of creamy soup (a real challenge with fingers) a whole roast chicken EACH, BBQ pork, potato, corn on the cob and dessert.





Myrtle Beach, South Carolina means vacation time!!  It's big and brassy with about 100 miles called The Strand advertising Burger Bars, Pizza Parlours, Pancake Shops, Theatres, Theme Parks etc.

Judging by the amount of holiday homes and apartments I guess it gets pretty busy here during the summer months.  I must admit the beach was awesome, a lovely stretch of fine white sand and volley ball nets set up for the super fit.
Had lunch at a dodgy looking "Dirty Don's Oyster Bar" it was a no fuss, rustic shack.  Looked like you could spit on the floor and no one would care!!  Great food.

Charleston, South Carolina  entering the deep South where everyone speaks with a lovely slow drawl.  Saw heaps of stalls on the side of the road selling Sweet Grass woven baskets.

  This is cotton-pickin country but it also has a rather 'grand' side to it.  Lots of beautiful art shops, churches, mansions and unique architecture.  

We walked around town for hours, it was mighty hot and we were fading fast.

Suddenly John from Charleston Rickshaw Company came to our rescue.  He  peddled for approximately 5 miles to deliver us safely to our RV.   Apparently we had parked close to an undesirable area but nevertheless the people were friendly and let us take photographs of their famous mini house.







Savannah, Georgia 

A really interesting mix of extreme cultures.  The town was a hotch-potch of beautiful bright coloured houses sitting next to wooden shacks.  It was amazing to see a trendy designer shop good  neighbours with a seedy sandwich bar but somehow it worked.  Churches of every denomination lined the streets.

We loved the many green square parks dotted around town, a welcome break from the hot sun.  The massive oak trees shade the benches, flower beds and water features.  Lots of monuments and plaques to read.

The Civil Rights Museum, Savannah was a real eye-opener for us.  This Museum focussed on the local history including segregation in schools, shops etc.   It was horrific to learn how the African Amercians were treated NOT that long ago.  It displayed lots of photographs of local heros, Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights demonstrations in the mid 1960's.  A first class museum.