SAVANNAH - GEORGIA

4th - 6th March 2011

So it was a bit of back-trak by Amtrak. By the way, I am now becoming a something of of a 'Trakkie'. We Trakkies don't travel in trains we 'ride em'. Considering the uneven state of the rail-road I can see the reasoning. I caught the 0920hr train north from Fort Lauderdale via many of the same stations as on the way down including some extra, Okeechobee (FL) for example. Where do they get these brilliant names, like Kissimmee etc., from? The 'Native Americans', I suppose ( Red Indians to you and me ). "How!..Pale-face bring plenty fire-water ask me, Chief Blowing Wind, give land and go away. Me say, I should Okeechobee, buffalo dropping, you Kissimmee arse".......and I suppose the names stuck.

 After 10 hours in the ' rockin' rollin' wriggley tin' I was in Savannah, Georgia, and just in time to walk, a long way, to a 'store' to get some rations. One other thing I have noticed in all US towns so far; they do not have 'stores' ( ie super-markets ) in the middle of town. Most inconvenient. They are always on the edge or outside. It invariably involves a marathon walk if not a taxi ride ( Jamie F you would starve! ). I will suss out the reason for this eventually.

Savannah is a very 'quaint' town. It was recommended to me as somewhere to visit. It is built, like so many other American places from the early days, in a grid pattern but, unusually, around a series of leafy squares. There are now 22 of them ( originally 4 ).

The place was started up by a certain James Oglethorpe in 1733 ( well after Charleston ). Oglethorpe was a renegade British soldier/politician who became pissed off with life in England and decided to take a few volunteers ( mostly crooks and debtors ) to the New World to set up a colony based on rather idealistic principles of communal ownership ( it didn't work ). King George 11 supported this idea because he thought it would provide a 'buffer' state between the aquisitive Spanish in Florida and the other Brits in Carolina.

Oglethorpe & Co. got on well with the resident Indian Chief, called TomoChiChi; they were both Chelsea supporters, and the place, after many traumas, ie nearly everyone dying of disease at one point, took root. Savannah's later claim to fame was in 1779, during the War of Independence, or what the Americans persist in calling their Revolutionary War. The Brits had been under siege in the town for several months and the 'allies', consisting of American patriots, the bloody French ( as always ) including Haitians who were French colonials then, and some Polish ( led by a renowned Polish general called Casimir Pulaski ) decided to attack. They were completely thrashed. The Brits not only won, but chased them out of the state. 800 allied dead against 50 British. It would have been, in cricketing terms, a 'follow-on' situation. 

The Polish general had his leg shot off by cannon grape-shot and died soon after. You can imagine the British squaddies' ribald remarks ... " eat lead, Pulaski, now hop it back to Gdansk". 

The place is now a thriving port ( container ships included ) up the Savannah river.

I went on a tour of the town in a bus with a lady commentator who was also the driver. She spoke very rapidly and when she put her foot down the engine noise drowned out her commentary. I missed, or mis-heard, quite a lot of it. We set off on a meandering route around the 'squares'. I will try to illustrate this by photos and quoting some of her commentary. Beware: I'm not too good, yet, at getting these in order and the text to match, so please use your wits and imagination. There may be large gaps between photos, I don't know why, so you will have to scroll down through blank spaces. I think I need help! I am still a complete numbskull with computers and have only just realised that if you 'click on' to these photos they enlarge! Do so, and some of the inscriptions may be legible.

Statue of James Oglethorpe in Chippewa Square. He obviously liked to dress up as one of the 3 Musketeers. I think she ( our guide ) said he was disillusioned with his wife in England and was looking for a better one in the New World. 

Below is the plaque telling the story of Chief Tomo Chi Chi and his relationship with Oglethorpe. I think she said Tomo Chi Chi was 9ft tall, was a brave idiot and had a very large tomahawk. Click on and it might tell you more. 



The other pics are of the site of ( part of ) the Battle of Savannah in the 'Revolutionary War' in 1779 when the American allies were routed.
Also a statue of one of the allies' heros, Sgt William Jasper, an Irishman, and a rare example of a statue erected in honour of an NCO. 
She said he was depicted standing, mortally wounded, calling on his men to do something brave and foolish, with his bullet riddled cat at his feet.

( I cannot for the life of me understand why he had his cat with him. Good luck, perhaps? )






The battle site, well a token bit of it, and the story. I hope if you enlarge this it might be legible. 

The dying Sgt Jasper ( he looks alright to me ) and his bullet riddled cat.  ..."cor Sarge, looks like your pussy's copped it!"

The bell here was rung to call out the fire Brigade, or perhaps for lunch. Can't remember. Note the 'Stars and Bars' , with 13 stars, flying on the right. This is the Southern 'independence' flag and down here is usually flown alongside the 'Unionist' Stars and Stripes.

An example of how the Spanish Moss clings to trees. This was in the cemetery in the middle of the town where, in the Civil War, Sherman's Unionist troops billeted themselves. They removed all the gravestones. They were subsequently put back, but not necessarily in the same place. This was one of the few major 'Reb' held towns that Sherman did not burn down.

more 'Spanish Moss'. Good name for a horse.

Typical Georgian residence

This house, left, was built by a chap called William Keyhole. He started out as a shop-floor worker at an iron foundry, and then went on to own the place. Everything other than the brickwork is made of iron. It might have rusted a bit in the rain.

I had no idea of what 'panhandling' was until I saw this sign.

There are various forms of tourist conveyance.

.........On the left is a single engine version.

      ......this is the twin.....

...and this is the usual Sedgeway gang. They were a little out of control, I think, after a good lunch. The fat chap at the back went through the hedge.

Below: The fountain in Forsyth Park; a perdy place. Named in honour of an early Governor, or maybe an ex-cavalry officer now living in Norfolk.

Left: Monument in Forsyth Park, to the Confederate soldiers killed in the Civil War. They were, and still are, staunch 'Rebs' down here. Rhett Butler lives OK.

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Ships and boats feature a lot. Mississippi style paddle cruisers ply the river for social gatherings and even my chosen form of conveyance, the jolly old container ship, makes it's presence felt.

Apparently St Paddy's day is celebrated in Savannah in what is the second biggest biggest parade in the USA ( after Manhattan ). They were already preparing for it while I was here. St Paddy's Day is bigger in the US than Xmas and New Year put together. I really can't think why. Maybe because of Sgt Jasper and his cat. I was in Miami on 1st March, St David's Day, but that never got a mention. Probably because there are more O'Reillys etc. around than Llewellyns and Joneses. Are you reading this Nant?

Left: Somtin Oirish I presume, begging. Sorry, panhandling!

Left: There was an enormously fat woman sitting outside a 'candy' shop. She was yelling, to no-one in particular that I could see.."I need a bathroom!..". Madam, I thought to myself, you don't need a bathroom you need a drive through car-wash.

Of course there had to be a Brit style pub somewhere. Needless to say the beer and food were somewhat American . OK they had Guiness and Newcastle Brown Ale, but the food........bloody 'toppings' again ugh! I'm not sure if the telephone worked.

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We were told that this was the only gothic style synagogue in the world; or did she say Savannah. It wasn't clear. Anyway, it is a synagogue. Oi Vey!

Right: The Pirates' House. All the serving wenches in here wear pirates' outfits. Lots of Ooooh Aaaaarrr me ship-mates etc. Very tedious.

We were told that this place was the inspiration for R L Stevenson's book Treasure Island (maybe) and, of course, that it is haunted just to further attract the tourists. Crap food.

This statue, left, down on the quayside, is apparently famous; in Savannah anyway. It's called 'The Waving Lady'. It is of a local lady, name on plinth, and her large dog called Comehereyoubastard, whose boyfriend went off to sea on a merchant ship. She waved to every incoming vessel after that to welcome him home, but he never did return. This was in the days before mobile phones, don't forget. I suspect she is really waving a heavy lump of metal to whack the bugger with if she catches him.

Right: The 'iron-horse' which took us Trakkies for a short ride in the 'tourist' class carriages. 













...from the Train Museum in Savannah. The rail system in the early days was crucial for the transport of cotton.

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The 'old' town Savannah is a relatively wealthy and well kept place and caters for tourists. As in all the towns I have seen so far, there is always the rather shabby rabbit hutch style prefab houses, left, on the outskirts where the poor, predominantly black, community lives.

Shopping. The states in the US make their own laws when it comes to tax and things domestic. Most goods are subject to 3 categories of tax. So when you go to buy a sandwich, for example, priced at $3, you end up paying say, $3.47. It is never a round number. Most irritating. Also, when I went to the 'store' to re-fuel before my next Amtrak voyage ( bottle of wine ), I was asked to show my ID (my plastic British driving licence has always sufficed. I have never yet been asked to show my passport since passing through immigration). When I asked why, I was told it was to check my age! I wasn't sure whether to feel flattered that I could be mistaken for being under 21, or whether there is an 'upper' age limit for buying alcohol. I didn't dare ask.

You may think I am rabbiting on a bit too much here. I don't care. I am doing this more to amuse myself than to entertain you! It passes the time pretty well during a long ride on the 'iron horse' to tap away at the keyboard, and it is made especially challenging, and a good test of one's coordination, to plonk away at the shaking letters with shaky hands in, using aviation parlance here, conditions of 'light to moderate chop' ( turbulence ). It involves many mis-prints and much cursing. I get some curious looks! Lots of words and pictures are therefore produced, but not necessarily in the correct place or order. I produced most of this in the 23 hour train ride ( yes, 23 blinkin' hours ) to Boston so I have been able to bang on at considerable length! I have also managed to dig out my long-johns in preparation for less than the tropical weather expected.

I shall be going on a look-see around the city soon and will report back. I have been told, by a usually reliable source, that the lobster sandwiches down at the harbour are particularly good. I will let you know. Is that the same harbour where the 'tea' party occurred? Presumably. I may need to bone up a bit on my history. Harvard University around the corner. Lexington? The 'Freedom Trail'? We shall see

Stand-by for more of this rubbish......................

My apologies for the gaps in the layout. It looks OK after writing it but, on production, it all changes. Damned computers.

FORT LAUDERDALE - FLORIDA

1st - 3rd Mar 2011

I set off to Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday afternoon. Good Haitian taxi driver got me to the 'Tri-Rail' station, near Miami International Airport, just in time to catch the local train to Fort Lauderdale. It was a 50 minute train trip. Incidently, I found myself sitting next to a Brit cabin-crew chief steward , working for American Airways, who was an Arsenal supporter. Unfortunately, my host, G, was waiting for me at the Fort Lauderdale 'Airport' station ( my oversight I'm afraid ). So it involved another and, as it turned out, completely useless Haitian taxi driver who, after getting lost, under a voodoo spell probably, eventually took me to G and C's  house. Now, prepare yourselves. Fort Lauderdale is something a bit special. It is about 35 miles north of Miami. To describe it as 'well heeled' would be doing it an injustice. It is, for the most part, a place of gob-smacking, breathtaking affluence and opulence. It is a 'yachties' Nirvana. There are thousands of square miles of rivers, canals and sea housing an incredible number and variety of yachts and boats of all description. It must be, without any shadow of a doubt, the largest and most expensive collection of floating mega-luxury in the world, by miles. I know little about boats, other than a passing knowledge of German container ships and once, 35 years ago, getting violently seasick on a yacht in Cyprus, but this collection of nautical extravagance did shiver even my somewhat cynical timbers, a bit. It is difficult even to guess the number or value of floating property in the area, from 50ft mono-hulls, larger catamarans to stonking great liner sized private yachts.

My hosts' house, and very smart it is, as so many others, is on a canal. I arrived late but just in time to be welcomed onto another Brit boat for a most civilised and much needed drink. Oh, how the 'other half' live. I think I do like boats but they are definitely at their best when tied up firmly to the shore.

Left: G's little dinghy with his two guard-dogs. Crime rates around here are, as a result, negligible.

Below: The guard-dogs at rest.

The next day, I went for a river-taxi ride downtown. This was a taxi ride with a commentary, and the commentator had a wickedly disparaging line in jokes ( ie he took the piss ) about many of the people who owned houses on the river bank. As well he might, because these house owners were of the wealthy variety. When you think of Nouveau Riche, these people were more so. They were Nouveau Hyper-Riche ad Extremis. Their 'houses', or small estates more like, have been constructed in an eclectic mix of styles centering on the Classical Spanish Hacienda cum Disney Fairyland variety. I was told that they only used them as 'summer cottages' for a couple of weeks in the year. They are owned by such luminaries as the oft re-married guy who started Otis lifts ( and much ribald comment from our commentator about "ups and downs" and being " shafted" by various ex-spouses ), Lee Majors ( an actor I believe ), the bloke who thought of 'Rentawreck' car hire, a Mr Wells of Wells Fargo fame, the bloke who owned and subsequently sold 'Blockbuster Videos' and several other 'celebs' who everyone on-board seemed to have heard of, except me. Also, an interesting chap who started work as a lowly mechanic in an engineering firm who had the idea for the 'intermittent windscreen-wiper' device. His firm tried to profit from his invention. He sued them and was awarded a huge sum of money. He built his house 'The White House' here which reputably cost $28 million. I show below some examples. There were many others. Summer cottages, don't forget!

Left: One of the mega-yachts.

Below: The 'White House' owned by the ex-mechanic windscreen-wiper inventor. There's hope for all of us. Maybe.

I've forgotten who owned these properties, and who cares, except my fellow passengers on the water-taxi were rivetted by who owned what and always 'how much it cost'. The Americans may not always be able to come up with so much ancient history but they often make up for it by exploiting the wealth factor and value of 'celebs' properties. A piece of undeveloped riverside land was pointed out to us, about 1/2 acre, which recently sold for $9 million. The money spent on these properties is astronomical. One begins to wonder who is suffering from a recession. There is curiously little mention of the relative squalor that exists in the outskirts of some of these urban paradises. In the USA, money is God!

I had a good wander downtown. It was a thoroughly pleasant place as one would expect. Good food and wine and hotels abounded. A machine which features quite largely here, as in many US towns, is the 'Sedgeway'. The mono-wheeled stabilised pogo-stick. You may have seen one. They are excellent machines. Here, they are used by young and old to mosey around town, and you can hire them cheaply. They go, flat out, at about running pace depending, I suppose, on your 'All Up Mass'. I believe they were introduced to Britain but, because they did not fit into any acknowledged 'category' of vehicle, they were banned from any public road, pavement or space. This, to me, is another example of typical bone-headed British legal lunacy. Our ( British ) mantra seems to be "if in doubt, ban it". Bloody idiots.

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Left and below: The Sedgeway 'easy riders'. I can think of many people who might enjoy riding these things in UK. Bernie, for one. But, of course, you're not allowed to.

Below below: A common sight. A posse of Harley Davidson riders with their highly polished machines. They are all over the place when the sun is out. Not many of them are below the age of 50.

 Left: My beer. It wasn't too bad.



Below: a couple of fellow River-Taxi passengers. They were on holiday from Columbus, Ohio.

I much enjoyed my short stay in Fort Lauderdale ( I don't think the place has any connection with Lauderdale in the Borders, although it might ). I was generously entertained by my hosts, G and C and, as everywhere so far, the service and facilities in town and elsewhere were beyond reproach.



  

The guard-dogs, left, were most effective. They nearly had my leg off when I first arrived. They are called Lady Arwen and Sir Angus.






I was hoping to get a ship to take me north to Boston, but no ships go north from Florida at this time of year. Lots to the Bahamas and South, but not where I want to go. So it looks like a bit of a back-track by Amtrak. Might have to stop off somewhere en-route.
I will keep you informed, whether you like it or not................!

MIAMI - FLORIDA

Feb 28th - Mar 1st 2011

...Onwards and downwards. I discovered that the cost of an Amtrak ticket from Charleston to Miami was only $74 ( they vary by the minute ) so decided, on a whim, to go for a look-see. Although the train journey of 14 hrs cost a mere $74, the 20 minute taxi rides to/from hotels at either end totalled $60! Long distance travel in US is fine, local travel is more difficult and expensive. I suspect that a lot of taxi drivers want to keep it just that way. Actually most US citizens prefer to drive, or fly, wherever. Local public transport is therefore poor, and walking anywhere is quite out of the question.

So, off on another 'wriggley tin' ride; shake, rattle and roll for 14 hours. I remembered to take my own ( substantial, clink clink ) rations and at least I had a window to look out of this time. I sat next to a gentleman, getting off at Orlando, who slept for most of his journey. God knows how.

The scenery was relatively dull; flat, mainly straggly forest with occasional swamp, farmland and the odd lake. But definitely flat...which is more than can be said of the rail-track. Maybe that is why the tin carriages have become wriggley? We stopped ( and I have probably missed a few ) at Savannah, Jesup, Jacksonville, Orlando, Kissimmee, Winter Haven, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and finally Miami.

Announcements. One of my pet hates concerning most Brit transport systems is the intrusive, bossy, interminable, mostly unnecessary and often unintelligible 'announcements' which serve only to irritate and disrupt one's journey. I suppose it is the 'Karaoke' syndrome. Give some minion a microphone and he will sing into it loudly and non-stop, possibly because it makes him feel important. Pointless and unlistened to 'announcements' about what is on sale in the buffet ( food and drink unsurprisingly ) and all the pathetic 'compulsory, for your own security 'elf 'n' safety' crap adds to the relentless cacophony. The few announcements that are made on Amtrak are done in a concise understandable and often amusing fashion normally by a 'conductor' on the platform or walking through the carriage ( no microphone ). Carriages are assigned to destinations which makes life easier so the conductor will even wake you up, if necessary, before your stop. Things like "Next stop in 10 minutes, Kissimmee, 10 minutes to Kissimmee, Yee Hah!" or, significantly, "Orlando in 10 minutes, smoke break here folks for 15 minutes but don't go too far away from the train, we don't want to lose you". I somehow can't imagine British railways advertising smoke breaks. They are great social occasions on Amtrak!

Sorry, phew, I digress. My neighbour, Mr Negie McKenzie, woke up 20 minutes before Orlando. He was most charming. It turned out that he was a builder/decorator working in New York, originally from the Bahamas and on the way to visit his daughter in Orlando. He enjoyed watching cricket. He told me all about Nassau and gave me his card in case I ever needed any help there, and a tin of Coca-Cola.

We arrived intact in Miami at about 1930hrs then 25 minutes by taxi to the hotel which, I discovered, was in the 'hospital' area.

I think most of the guests were recovering from, or about to endure, some treatment or other. I told the receptionist that I was fine. She said "well that makes a nice change then" in, would you believe, a Geordie accent! Good heavens. Hadaway man! Hor name worr Scarlett and shu worr a bonny lass frerm Sunderland, working in Miami for a year. She said the weather was better here and, as I have found in most places down the east coast, they sell Newcastle Brown Ale.

The next day, into Miami for a reconnaissance. There is a city Metro system similar to the Docklands Light Railway in London which doesn't, of course, extend to the airport or Amtrak station. The taxi drivers ( many Haitian ) would strongly disapprove of that.

Right: a bit of the Miami City Metro. $1.75 for a single journey of any length. Cheap.

The city is a sprawling place. Loads of smart shops, restaurants and 'entertainment' as you would expect and with hundreds of banks. This is 'bank' city USA. Mind you, I noticed some incredibly grotty and run-down housing just outside of 'downtown'. I hadn't realised previously that the language spoken, and culture, in Miami is predominantly Spanish. It was founded by the Spanish ( hence Florida ) but more recently this is due to a large influx of Cubans and other Hispanics. There are also, as you are doubtless aware, extensive and rather naff ( in my opinion ) beach areas ( Miami Vice etc., not that I have watched it ). It was hot and sunny but I was not really tempted to try out the beaches for various reasons. Firstly, I had very kindly been invited to stay in Fort Lauderdale that evening and did not have too much time to spare. Secondly, I had been ( reliably? ) informed that the beaches were infested by prowling packs of woofters. Thirdly, I am not terribly keen on sand and sea. The sand gets inside your shoes and socks and, if you throw caution to the wind, roll up your trouser  legs and paddle in the sea there is a serious danger that some marauding shark will have your legs off at the knee.

A bit like Blackpool, but with hot sun and added dangers.

Ok, I didn't have too much time to suss out Miami properly, but 'onwards onwards'..... next stop, briefly, Fort Lauderdale. Standby for more................rubbish.

CHARLESTON -SOUTH CAROLINA

23rd - 28th February 2011

By road to Charleston, the original capital of South Carolina ( until 1865 ); a touristy place but good fun. It is ( quite ) famous for a) being established by King Charles 11 and given, along with all Carolina, to his supportive cronies in 1670, b) the first shot of the Civil War was fired here by the Confederates at a ship resupplying Unionist held (by Major Robert Anderson) Fort Sumter in April 1861, c) Hurricane Hugo, which flattened the place in 1989 and, I suppose, d) for inventing a rather silly dance.

It is in Cherokee country and the setting, along with Georgia, of the  'Gone with the Wind' story and film. There are many old cotton and rice 'plantations' ( now defunct ), mansions, Rhett Butler lookalikes and freed slaves around the place. Extraordinarily, it has 137 churches and no building is allowed to be built higher than the highest church spire. These Yanks, whoops sorry Rebs, love their churches.

 There are also loads of organised 'tours' by bus, boat and horse or mule drawn carriages. Tours to plantations, mansions, Fort Sumter on a man-made island, around the town, the slave market ( closed ), an aircraft carrier, a Civil War ( first ever ) sunken submarine ( the Hunley which sunk after destroying a Yankee ship ),  etc. etc.

Below right: the 'rainbow houses' along one of the smart streets. Most of the old houses have 'earthquake bolts' through them to hold them together during an earthquake.

Below: One of the many mule towed guided tours. Rather more fun if they had races with them, in my opinion.

Below below: The Palmetto tree ( a smaller leaved palm tree ) which forms part of the blue South Carolina flag. The trunks of this tree are very tough and resilient and they reinforced the original city walls with them. They withstood all the British cannon fire in the War of Independence, and thus became iconic to the Charlestonians. Charleston was the capital at the time.

I took a bus tour ( reckoned it would be quicker than the horse drawn variety ) and therefore give me more time to tour their bars and restaurants of which there is a plethora. Yes, lots of quaint and colourful historic old houses and sites from the 'Gone with the Wind' days. There is a  large and old fashioned open City Market which sells locally made produce, including the ubiquitous 'sweet-grass' woven baskets made by the indiginous 'Gullah' folk. The Gullah culture consists of black people with traditions and a strange 'patois' language that extends down the east coast of the Carolinas and Georgia. I think I heard someone talking it, and it was impossible to understand. Or maybe they just had a speech defect.

    

Right: a knob's house in Charleston. The plantation owners kept these places to 'entertain' in Town. They all have two converging entrance staircases, one for the men and one for the ladies. They were rather conservative in those days.





Left: a tour bus.
Below right: One of the many 'sweet-grass' basket weavers/sellers' I think she might have had a few left over at the end of the day. I didn't buy one.

Below:...... and, of course, the mandatory Oirish Fenian 'Bear' serving Guiness and, surprisingly, Newcastle Brown Ale in which the 'Woild Rovarrr', inevitably, was played endlessly as well as a new one on me, a song which contained the lyrics " ..Moi Faathor was a hampstor.." No, I didn't get it either. Must be a local variation.

I visited another fairly strange institution here. The "Citadel'. This is a quasi-military/academic establishment with some weird 'initiation' rites and traditions. The students all dress in a sort of Westpoint style uniform. Freshmen ( 1st year students ) have all their hair shaved off, cannot walk on the pavements and have to walk 'at the double' ( ie run ) wherever they go. Some drop out after a couple of months. The 'course' lasts 3 years and they pay $23,000 per year for the priviledge.

Most do not join the services but they get, apparently, a good education. It must be like the first term at Sandhurst, but tougher and you pay for it! They put on a military parade every Friday afternoon. I went. Photos below.

Left: the Citadel flag. They have a museum which I visited. It was rather dull.



Below: One of the imposing 'blocks' which make up the Citadel. Every building has a US flag flying from it. I counted 36 all told.







Below: The Parade. There were at least 1000 on parade. They have a Scottish Pipe Band, with their own tartan, as well as a normal 'oompah' one. For the life of me, I can't work out what the connection is between South Carolina and Scotland. I'm sure someone will enlighten me. Did they have Scottish plantation owners? Or slaves, maybe?( I don't think Hamish would have made a very good slave.." Whaat Baas? Weel yoos can just f**k off yoos sassenach c**t" ).
Their drill seemed mainly to consist of very long, loud and unintelligible words of command followed by, as far as I could see, not much! They eventually marched off and most of them were in step.




The 'Pipes and Drums' were OK, but I suspect any self-respecting Scottish Regimental Pipe Major would have had a fit.





Below: The pipe band in action.

Of course I had to see a plantation and duly went on another 'tour' to the Boone Hall Plantation just North-West of the town. It was rather a pleasant place, horses in the paddocks, Scarlett O'Haras in the tea rooms and has been used as a backdrop for various 'movies' which demanded that theme. The life of the owners and slaves was well explained, "yas Baas etc." The place grew rich on growing cotton, indigo ( hadn't heard of that before ) and nuts. And in the winter, to keep the boys amused and occupied, they made bricks.

Left: Boone Hall, where the 'toffs' lived. They always kept their kitchens separate from the house because they ( kitchens ) often burned down and they didn't want the houses to go up with them. Wise.

Below right. Slave alley huts, just along the drive approaching the main house ( this was a 'status' thing, just to show off how many slaves you had ). Actually, these brick-built ones were comparatively luxurious.

Below: A slave's bedroom. Eat yer heart out Tracy Emin! I was told a 'family' of up to 16 people lived in one hut.

Does't look to bad to me. I've known worse. They probably weren't in it for very long anyway.

 The 'living' oak ( they always have leaves on, new ones pushing out old ) lined drive to the hall. The grey stuff that always hangs down from these trees is called 'Spanish Moss'. 'Spanish' because the Indians thought it looked like the beards that the early Spanish invaders wore. It is not a moss.


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As I mentioned, there is a great variety of bars and restaurants in this town, as indeed everywhere in the country, but I have yet to get the hang of the food and drink in the US, in general. The photo on the left is of a typical bar/restaurant. Firstly, I was introduced to 'Grits', an apparently popular southern delicacy. My advice is; don't. It is a sort of gooey porridge made from sweetcorn. The sort of stuff you might feed to a sick calf. Secondly, all their meals seem so complicated and are always covered with lots of different and equally disgusting 'goo' or 'toppings' as they call them. To give you an example, I will quote from a menu for a typical 'appetiser'. I always just order 'appetisers' because the main courses are usually big enough to feed a normal family of 4 for about a week. Anyway, this appetiser ( and I couldn't make it up ) was described as...."Sauteed calamari tossed with capers, orange zest, tomato, basil pesto and shaved fennel served over wilted spinach with salsa cruda and jack cheese quesadilla"... probably with a choice of bloody 'toppings'!  I mean........whaaaat?! Is this a description of food or some sort of culinary masonic coded message? It cost $10. Cheap. And, whatever you do, resist the temptation to ask for their recitation of the 'Specials'. This involves a brilliantly rehearsed soliloquy which goes on for a solid 5 minutes without breath being taken. After the first word, chicken say, the rest might as well be in fluent Martian. One is left with eyes wide and mouth open, comprehending zilch. You just say "can you repeat that" and do a runner. My advice, which will not be taken, is that US meals should have 1/2 the ingredients,  1/2 the quantity and be 1/2 the price. I suspect my search for 'fish and chips', or 'beans on toast' will be entirely and hopelessly in vain.

OK, that's my compilation for the last week. Moving on tomorrow. Where to? As someone once memorably said around here " Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn..."

Hang on in there.......I will communicate again sometime soon.

PS. Nearly forgot, the Charleston was invented here by an orphanage black band called the Jenkins Jazz Orchestra in, about, 1890. Look it up on 'youtube'. There is only one recording of them left.

COLUMBIA - SOUTH CAROLINA

21st - 23rd February 2011

Long ride in the 'Wriggley Tin' ( 10.5 hrs ). I took my own 'refreshments' with me this time. I'm learning. Train was packed due to a public holiday. It was President's Day, apparently, whatever that entails. The train left Washington at 3.00pm and I was squeezed into a seat in the front of a carriage next to drawn curtains. I pulled the curtains back and, guess what, no bloody window! I ask you. So I didn't get much of a view before it got dark. Haven't a clue what we passed or where we went. South I suppose. I gathered from an Amtrak magazine that this month is 'Black History Month'. I had no idea! They ( Amtrak ) were advertising the 'Leroy R Fergus Jr' award, to be given to the person who contributes most on this 'historic' occasion to the rail system. I was thinking of donning a bit of 'black and white' minstrel 'slap' and, because it was next to nigh impossible to sleep, polishing up my rendition of " ...de Camptown Racetrack 5 mile long, doo-dah....etc'. It would surely amuse the passengers, win the award and help pay for my travels. Perhaps.

I made it, alive, into Columbia Station after another 'ride 'em cowboy' journey ( 1 platform, and only 2 trains a day ) at 0245hrs. Straight to hotel; 'Springhill Suites by Marriott'. Excellent place for about $100 per night. Tip here, for anyone who may be interested; I have so far discovered that 3 chains provide relatively inexpensive and good quality accomodation across the USA ( there are undoubtably more ), namely: Springhill Suites, Courtyard ( both Marriott subsidiaries ) and Hampton Hotels.

Met later that day, after a good kip, by an old school friend, 'T'. He and family have been living in Columbia for 25 years, or so. I was taken on an excellent tour of the City. It is the capital of South Carolina. Charleston was originally, but it was moved to Columbia after the Civil War. Interesting to note that South Carolina is 1/3 the size of UK and has only 4 million inhabitants ( size and space again! ). The place was attacked and torched by Gen Sherman's ( Unionist ) troops towards the end of the Civil War. The State Capitol building was shelled and where the shells hit has been marked by bronze 'stars'.

Below: view of the State Capitol Building. Note the Confederate Flag flying in front. Maybe it's a bit small to see in this wee photo. It was originally on the 'dome', but this displeased the Federal government, so it was moved to it's much more prominent position at the front! The State Capitol in each State is a sort of mirror image, at State level, of the Federal arrangement. It's where the State Governor hangs out.

  Left: State Capitol building plus, forefront, Confederate flag.

Right: T standing in front of some hero soldier of the American/Mexican War















                                                                                              



Left: George Washington at the front.







             Right: one of the bronze stars, 6 of them in all, mark where Sherman's shells hit ( repair work subsequently done ).









Left: Inside on first floor. Elegant?






Below: State Congress debating chamber. There are about 150 Congressmen representing the counties in the State. I think they have a 4 year term of office.













Below: State Senators debating chamber. There are 47 Senators representing, proportional to the population within them, the counties. They have a 6 year term of office.

The Congress chamber is 'opened' for business by a Mace ( very old and valuable ) placed across the front of the Speakers dias, which completes an electric circuit and illuminates the lights on either side.  The same is done in the Senate by a sword. The present sword was donated by Lord Halifax ( made by Wilkinson Sword... hello Oxbridge! ), who was the Brit Ambassador in 1951, after the original had been stolen.

The concept of US Federal Government and State Assemblies ( they make the State laws ) is, from what I can see, remarkably similar, in essence, to that espoused by our beloved European Union. The US States are equivalent to EU member nations, and the US Federal Government is equivalent to the EU Commission in Brussels. With one notable difference! The US population elects their President and national government, whereas the EU President ( that funny little Belgian non-descript 'HermanVan Rumpelstiltskin', or whatever he's called ) and his team of over-paid lickspittle shysters are not elected by anyone. Hey ho! Incidently, for our tour of the State Capitol, T and I joined, with their permission, a group ( red spot team ) of Grade 5, Elementary School  pupils from Greensville ( average age 12 ). We two were undoubtedly the worst behaved in the group.

A point I noted in Columbia, and other places, is the great number of very large and shiny chromed Harley-Davidson motorbikes on the roads; no doubt brought out by the sunny weather. Those riding them rarely appear to wear crash helmets. The law says you must, but they don't. All credit to them in my opinion! Another thing I note is that US light switches, in default position, are 'on' when up, and 'off' when down. The opposite to Europe. Also, they mostly have an illumination on them when 'off' so you can find them in the dark! Another lesson to be learnt here, I think.

Left: Hey, this is interesting! Seen in a Columbia bar/restaurant window. WOW!!! I can't wait. I expect the over 85 yr olds in South Carolina are now 'binge drinking' and causing havoc. Maybe I can forge an ID.










There is a very smart and prestigious University in Columbia. It has some beautiful buildings and was started in .... ( bugger, I've forgotten....but a long time ago ). I was shown around a bit. My host, T, had studied there. The old library was deserted, probably because it was warm and sunny outside, but lots of students were lying around on the grass of what is known as the 'horseshoe' and I looked and they really were studying text books! I suspect they take their University education rather more seriously here. If they don't get good grades, basically, they don't get a job!



Left: the Old library at Columbia University. It's rather cosy. They also have a much more modern one ( ground floor then 7 floors underground, elsewhere. )







Below: The Horseshoe, surrounded by University buildings where, believe it or not, many students were actually studying.






















Left: My host and hostess waving good-riddance.
Very good drink and nosh. Thanks T and B.....and Crispin.

















And onwards..........................................Perhaps next to Charleston.