You are remarkably springy after 48h of on the bus and after being picked up by Karin she was sad to announce that we would be doing another 1,5h in her car to spend the night in Springfield as her Brother lives there. A well needed shower was however squeezed in and chineese for lunch. Arriving in Springfield I soon realised that it wasn't merely her brothers house I had arrived but a secret portal into the adventures of Indiana Jones, grown-up monsters and the blocky worlds of Lego conquered and built by Karins nephews 2 and 4 years old! In the morning we we're on the road to Champaign and the Thanksgivings lunch with family, friends and orbiting friends. There was no shortage of food, turkey was there, artichoke & spinache ricotta gratin (a favorite!), mash potatoes... and then desert! I don't know how I ate as much as I did but I was set for the next few days.
The drive back became quite memorable one, we almost ran out of petrol but after our first stop which we wrongly thought was our only karin's nephew who we were ferrying home had a wee projectile vomit and we stopped at the next service station to clean up a bit - I went in to get a (small) cup of water and came out, after an intervention by the staff, with a gallon of warm water! One of my BIG experiences, but came very much in handy later as another vomit was perfectly contained in that very cup!
My last night in St Louis continued a bit on the worlds of children (with a touch of adults) when I was taken to the City Museum where the children can play in the converted shoe factory and the adults can take a break at choice of 3 bars when they are tired of being children again. The place even had a 2nd hand vintage shop! Before I knew it though I was on the bus to Allentown, another seat-molding trip.
Allentown is apparently a quite conservative town, next to Bethlehem in Pennsylvania Jacob was explaining as he drove me back to his mother Linda's house. We had planned a roadtrip to Washington D.C. which we embarked on the day after I arrived, early morning to avoid the traffic and get a whole day of sightseeing. In the two days we spent there when we weren't walking and talking we visited the Capitol encompassing the Library of Congress, Senate and House of representatives - we got a great insight into the legal system at a basic level; 4 senators presnt, one texting, one talking and the chairman must have had toothpicks jamming his eyes open, for he never seemed to blink but looked veeery boored. I am sure it can be quite lively at times, but we must have chosen a booring topic (they were discussing details of womens special care... we think). Thanks to Jacob's friend we also got to see a ball game, the Washington Wizards played home which was entertaining, even more so with the burrito throwing and ass-shaking by the cheerleeders.
Once back I missed the chance with Jacob to have lunch with Obama - if we had got up early and had a light breakfast and coffee at the local diner (the HamFam) before 9.30 the secret service would have invited us back for lunch! The things you miss when you sleep in...
Finally I arrived in New York, the Big Apple, after Linda was kind enough to give me a ride on her way to work outside of New York where she works. Many say that New York is a place which should be considered seperate from the rest of the US (so if you've been to New York I'm afraid you've not been in the US but the tribe of Manhattan!) and I would definately agree. I stayed with yet another relative in NY on my fathers side and had a nice 3 days exploring and getting a feel for life in the core finding it hard to identify the pips of excellence amongst the traffic, tourists and regular NYers. Times Square at night sure was lit up, and I have to say that the guy selling Obama condoms was ace, but I forgot to buy one!
As I was sailing over the atlantic I thought, now is the time I should be having a grand thought, now that it is soon over - but nothing so great did appear. I think I will always be travelling somewhere, even if it is in a job perhaps sitting at a desk I can still imagine for a second sand amongst my toes, the sun tattooing its UV rays into my skin or towering snowy mountains dwarfing my hair. So I hope you have enjoyed my tavels too, and do share your travels with me when I am working!
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A more precise list of visited locations throughout my trip and a map of course in the true Bartholomew spirit (powered by google). Google Map