Day 19 - Crystal river

After checking out from our motel in Orlando we were faced with a dilemma. We really wanted to go do a manatee-swim but all the operators of manatee-tours we had spoken with said that you might see manatees or you might not see manatees. Big thunderstorms were heading towards the west coast so our plan b was to head to the east coast so at least we would get the sun. Nevertheless, after searching frantically after operators I got on the phone with Captain Mike in Crystal rivers. When I asked him if they had seen any manatees on their last tours he paused for a minute as if I said something really dumb and replied, - I see manatees 7 days a week. That was all the answer we needed and we set course for Crystal river on the Florida northwest coast. We were hit pretty bad by the storms driving up there and some parts it felt like driving into a waterfall, but victory will come to those who prevail! Finally on arriving in Crystal river we found a great best western which is a medium budget hotel that even if slightly over our budget for motel nights has all the conveniences you could wish for.

We spent the day and afternoon chilling in our room and finally got some laundry done as well.  At night we headed out to see what was in our surrounding area and was surprised to hear live music as soon as we headed out the door. Turns out we were neighbors with a restaurant that had a outdoor tiki bar next to the water. On stage in the bar was an awesome cover band, and even though I most of the times cant stand such acts these guys were really good! We had a chat with bass player Jim in the pause. He told us that now was "scallopping" season, why so many people were there to fish for scallops. And there were actually loads of people everywhere. Seemed only we were the ones there for the manatees.

Come next morning we struggled a little to get up at six but were soon in the car on the way to the marina by Kings Bay. When we got on the boat the rain hit pretty bad, but it was quite cosy sitting in your wetsuit with a hot cup of coffee and hearing the rain against the roof. As we came out to the snorkeling area the weather brightened up and when we got in the water for the first time the rain had stopped all together. The manatee population in kings bay consists of about 50 - 60 habitats that remain all year, with another 200 or so that go out in the ocean during summer and return in the winter. At first in the water you are told to float on the surface in a "dead mans pose" so that the manatee comes to you instead of you trying to chase after it. The rain had made the water a bit cloudy so visibility wasn't the greatest. So it was quite scary at first when out of nowhere a big shadow approaches you. However as soon as you calm down they are AMAZING! Like some kind of prehistoric creature that drifts pass you in the water. If you are lucky enough, and we were,  they will take an interest in you and come up right next to you. If you pet them some of them rolls over and wants you to scratch their bellies. They are almost like dogs. We absolutely loved doing this and we will most def come back to do it again. The pictures didn't come out to well but we have some amazing video that I'll upload as soon as I have better internet connection. 

Day 17 & 18 - Orlando

After saying our farewells to Georgia we finally crossed the border to Florida. The main purpose of this trip was to get at least two weeks of that sweet Florida sun. Last year we did the west coast and how amazing that ever was we felt we needed more sun. So here we were. We stopped at the welcome center and as soon as we left the comfort of our air conditioned car the heat hit us full on blast! Perfect. As a tourist the one reason to come to Orlando is it's many amusement parks. Our mid was set on Universal Studios Islands Of Adventure. Since we only had one day we went all in and got the unlimited express pass to the park. It means that you get to stand in a shorter line for each ride. It was expensive but soooo worth it. By accident we stood in the wrong line at first and it takes forever to get to the ride. We just passed the whole line and waited no more then 5 minutes a ride. If you can afford it, do it!

I cant really retell the day cause when you are in one of these parks you just get carried away. What I can tell you is that we did every ride at least twice and I've never had so much fun in my life! The hulk roller coaster that we did 4 times is the most amazing terrible experience I have ever done! I even dislocated a rib in the ride but it was worth it.  The new Harry Potter world was also so much fun. The Dragon challenge was almost as horrifying as the Hulk and the Hogwarts ride was really really cool. We probably screamed more than anyone. A thunderstorm passed by mid day and left us soaking wet but after hiding in a pub for awhile and buying dry clothes in a souvenir shop we hit the rides one more time. If you have to pick one park in Orlando. Pick this!

Day 16 & 17 - Savannah

For the first time since the Jersey shores we were  finally at the ocean again. Before driving towards Savannah we decided to take a quick stop at Folly beach outside Charleston. The beach was gorgeous with almost chalk white sand and old wooden wave breakers. This far south the tourist season is in the winter because of the heat so we had the beach almost all to ourselves. The sun was scorching so after an hour and a half we decided it was enough sun for now. You don't wanna mess up the tan this early!

We arrived in Savannah early afternoon and immediately you are struck by it's beauty. 18th century houses surrounded by trees covered with spanish moss. Spanish moss is neither spanish or a moss but whatever it is it  makes a great party beard. I was however warned the day after this photo was taken not to touch it if you see it lying around. Apparently tiny red bugs live in it and they like to bite whoever picks it up. I was lucky this time. Another great feature in Savannah is that you are allowed to buy beer in the pubs in plastic glasses and walk around with them. We bought ourselves a nice cold one and walked around in the historic district and down on river street. This city is truly one of Americas most beautiful! A word I cant seem to use enough when it comes to the old south.

We only had the one night so after enjoying the nightlife in Savannah for awhile we called it an early night and went back to our luxurious stay at the Four points by Sheraton. We ordered breakfast to the room so we could get an early start the next day. We took a horse carriage tour of the old district and it was amazing! The old district is built up around small parks in a square grid that were originally designed to make the town easy to defend in war. The point being if the alarm went off each citizen would meet up in their designated park and defend it. As the years passed by the squares were ornamented with trees and statues and today the add to the splendor of the historic district.

You'll have to forgive my rather short posts at the moment but we just don't have the time. This trip is just way to amazing in every way. I try to make up for it with pictures as you know they say more than a thousand words. After seeing both Charleston and Savannah I can only add that we are falling deeply in love with the south!

Day 15 & 16 - Charleston

We arrived in Charleston on the sunday afternoon crossing the impressive Arthur Ravenel Jr bridge, which is the longest cable stayed bridge in the world. Finally we felt like being in the heart of the old south. You might notice there's quite a gap between Washington D.C and Charleston however I'm gonna have to stick to the highlights of this trip to have a chance to bring the block back up to date. The town where the civil war was started with the attack on Ft. Sumter by the Confederate army has kept so many of it's older buildings that you sometimes feel like your taking a step right on to the pages of history. It's hot, it's slow and it is beautiful. 

We were staying at the Notso hostel which as it's name states is not so much a hostel. I cant really describe it but it's kind of part hostel, part hotel, part social experiment. It's hippie-ish in the good way, fresh and clean with lovely helpful staff. They offer bikes for loan, an offer we didn't pick up on since everything was walkable. A lot of times we've realized through out out trips, what an American decribe as an hour long walk will take us about twenty minutes. It's just one of those cultural differences i guess.

First night out we headed to a couple of dive bars. The recovery room and AC's if i remember it right. Because of the upcoming independence days the bars were packed with an unusual amount of tourists, still I got a great vibe from The Charleston nightlife. Relaxed and friendly would be the keywords and something made us constantly comparing it to Portland, Oregon. Just not as trendy.

The following day was independence day. Our third time celebrating it in the states. And what better place to celebrate then in these historic settings. We spent the day strolling around in historic charleston just taking in all the wonderful architecture and colonial style buildings. 

Later that night we headed down to the fireworks at waterfront park. It was a great atmosphere and none of that over the top patriotism you sometimes see. Families and friends gathered all around to watch the amazing display. Maybe not the most spectacular fireworks I've witnessed but it was perfect just the way it was.

The night ended at D'allesandros Pizza. A pizza slash dive bar where once again the bartender tried to give us free drinks. After taking a tequila with him we legged it before he got the chance to give us more.  So far we are loving the south!

Day 11, 12 & 13 - Washington D.C

Amish land was a blast,  even so we were psyched for our next stopped of the trip. The grand daddy, the big kahuna founded by the number one guy himself. The city I'm talking about is of course Washington D.C, founded and named after the very first president of the United States, president George Washington!

I might have told you so earlier but I'll tell you again. All our travels have turned me into a americanophile with an huge appetite for American history and nowhere will you find such an abundance of it as in D.C.

We arrived in D.C in the afternoon in the early afternoon and was immediately met up by the owner of Kalorama guest house(this place will get it's own entry in the future with contact information, for now google!), Jack who was standing on the porch. I cannot give this man justice in any way but this is just about the nicest man on this earth. Within a few minutes he had parked our car for us and checked us in, he then told us to grab some of the complimentary wine(!?) while he had to go bake cookies for us! We sat down on the beautiful front patio and was soon joined by a man from New Zeeland who had business with some senators and within a few minutes we were talking politics. This is something I recommend people not to do while traveling in general but in one of the centers of world politics it just comes naturally.

After chilling awhile on our very own balcony we hit town. After randomly walking down streets for about half an hour we tried the first promising bar we saw. The place was called the Big Hunt and this would be our favorite spot on the rest of the stay. A downstairs bar with an variety of beer on draft, an upstairs bar with a tiki-theme and and finally a great outdoor patio in the back. On of the best dive bars I've come across for sure.

We only had one full day for sightseeing so we made sure we made the most out of it. We started out with the white house and finally got that must have photo you see in the top of my entry. Then we strolled down constitution avenue and man was it a sight! An architecture that loans from greece and rome but with a modern touch worthy of a young republic in need of it's own symbols of power. For me the highlight was the national archives where we got to see the 3 most important documents in American history. The declaration of independence, the constitution and the bill of rights. One of them in particular, the declaration of independence had an huge impact on the rest of the world, with the famous words of Thomas Jefferson, "All men are created equal". Powerful words from a controversial man who himself owned slaves, later we visited the monument of the man who helped end slavery, president Abraham Lincoln. I can't or wont go into details of all monuments and places we visited that day but I think anyone who gets the chance should come see this.

Day 10 & 11 - Amish country, Pennsylvania

For many years we have talked about visiting the Amish country. Opportunity had never shown itself and we weren't really sure where to go see them and if they would allow to be seen. When planning this road trip we heard about a community of Amish that had opened up their society to tourists, they do this since new land is almost impossible to come by and the new Amish families need to find an income. They do this by showing of their homes and selling hand craft to the English(what they call anyone who is not Amish). The place where they do this is the town of Inter Course(yeah, we know it's a weird name).

I can tell you right away I had prejudices about going there and I went there with a slight feeling of being on the way to some kind of human zoo featuring the freak attraction the Amish. Well the wondefull thing about traveling is that it takes all your preconceptions about how things are and slams them in your face!

What met us and what met these groups of dutch and german immigrants some hundred years ago is a fair and fertile country that do to this day remains one of the best non irrigated farming lands in the U.S. Driving down these lazy country roads is a dream that takes you back to a different time, when life had a slower pace. The Amish oppose a lot of modern conveniences such as electricity and plumbing. They ride in buggies or scooters which is the amish version of a kick bike. The idea is that no vehicle should be able to take you too fast and too far away from home. 

The young woman on the picture above was riding a scooter while drinking coffee from a thermo cup. One of many anachronisms we spotted in Amish country. We were supposed to travel on to Gettysburg but falling utterly in love with this scenery we decided to stay for a tour the next day. 

The tour we chose is a ninety minute bus tour deriving from the Plain & Fancy farm, a kind of Amish disney land with buggy rides, cinemas and gift shops devoted to the Amish experience. It took us deep in to the country side and stopped in some of their farms and bakeries(the Amish are obsessed with baking and making sweets). Much to our surprise the Amish were not at all hesitant to speak to strangers. You might think that a closed community such as theirs would be reluctant to meet with the outside world in fear of sowing doubt amongst their lines, but they all seemed to think that we were the weird ones. And in a way maybe we are. Their life seemed almost romantic, devoting their life to their work, their families and the earth they farm. They live here in peace with their neighbors "the english". And a good guess is they will continue to do that for a long, long time.

Day 7, 8 & 9 - Jersey Shore, Atlantic City & Philadelphia

Taking forever to update here but I have to stress... Wifi in the U.S is with a few exceptions at best painfully slow! Having said that, let me put you up to date.

We left New York in the afternoon and however sad we were of leaving our favorite city and our beloved friend C behind it was actually kind of relaxing to leave the city. New York is a nonstop roller coaster ride and after ever so many rides sometimes you feel it's time to get off. We picked up our car, a white Jeep Patriot at Newark airport and it was love at first sight!

We started of by driving towards Seaside heights on the Jersey Shore as made famous by the show with the same name. I'm not gonna lie to you, the show is the main reason we went there. We managed to get lost on the way somehow so we spent a night in a place i think was called Toms River. Lucky enough we found a Holliday Inn nearby Jersey Shore and spent the night there. It's a medium priced hotel chain that looks the same wherever you are. On the plus side is that they have comfy beds, ice machines(which is great if you bring beer. Fill the bathroom sink with ice, water and beer and you are golden!) and wifi. However we were to far from the wifi router to actually be able to use it, hence no updates in the blog. Next day we hit the shores. The boardwalk was just as we imagined it and while we expected an orgy in tacky-ness we felt that we wanna spend some time here in the future. It was the perfect vacation resort! We even managed to squeeze in a dip in the ocean and it was fab! Since we had tp make it to Philly the same night we push on to Atlantic City. Again by pure luck we took a wrong turn, parked the car and somehow managed to end up next to the boardwalk. We only spent an hour tops but it was enough for us to realize we need to get back soon. What we thought would be a casino resort for old people turned out to be a Las vegas on the east coast... with a beach! How can you go wrong. 

We left reluctantly but in the car was born a new road trip. Both the Jersey shores and Atlantic deserves a better look. On the plus side that means another N.Y visit.

The same night we hit Philadelphia. We had no idea what to expect, but man were we blown away! Our hostel which i hope to review further when we get back(for now google Apple hotels) was probably the cleanest, nicest hostel I've ever seen. And it sits next to some of the best bars in Philly. Since a few days have passed I 'll only give you some highlights never mind the timeline.

On our very first night close to the hostel we found a bar called Kybers pass where we made friends with the bartender, Johnny. This would prove to be our water hole for the upcoming days. Much like my bar in Stockholm they specialize in a huge variety in beer. They also had a jukebox which we abused in any way we could. We spent a huge amount of time on South street were we among other things visited an amazing art project where a man single handed turned a backyard into a Gaudi-style art garden using random junk. 

Philly is gonna get a more serious blog entry later on but one of the finest moment was me getting my hands on a veggie Philly cheese steak! By the way, Philly has some of the best vegetarian food I've ever encountered

Next up is Amish country!