Deciding that I don't want to go all the way from New Orleans to Port Charlotte in one go (Greyhound isn't that great after all) I decide to go to Tallahassee, Floridas capital. Yet, this time I don't travel alone: Anna comes along for the ride. As she likes to book hotels in advance, we don't have to worry about where to sleep when we arrive at 4 in the morning, which, I have to admit, isn't the worst thing. Also, you read correctly, we booked a HOTEL. The first (and probably last) hotel on the journey - privacy, queen sized [View Full Entry]

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Leaving Texas behind me I head to New Orleans, Louisiana. Most people associate New Orleans with Mardi Gras (alcohol, beads, party), Hurricane (the drink), Hurricane (Katrina), and good food, and, well, they are right! I arrive there in the morning and make it to the India House Hostel - great people, a pool, and one dollar breakfast. Also it is not dangerous to walk around the area - at daytime. The first stroll is towards downtown and through the French Quarter, in the direction of the famous Cafe du monde. Famous for its baignets (Frieds pieces of dough with massive amounts [View Full Entry]

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Perfectly relaxed from the day spent hiking and bathing, I ruin the whole relaxation by getting another Greyhound to Dallas. Nevertheless I make it there in the night, but realize that the Dallas Greyhound station is not THE place to be in the early hours. In fact, one might wonder why I would go to Dallas at all as, apart from being the place where JFK was assassinated in 1963, there is not a whole lot to do. The reason is that Steffi, who was an exchange student when I was in MI, happens to be there for the summer. Also, [View Full Entry]

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The bus journey to St Louis has some good and bad sides. The good side is meeting Stefan who I have coffee with at the station before he heads on to Kansas City. The bad side is not getting a whole lot of sleep due to snoring co-passengers and the unfriendly Greyhound woman who will not keep my backpack until the evening bus leaves, hence forcing me to either walk around hot St. Louis with my backpack all day, or staying overnight. I choose the latter and take a cab to the Huckleberry Finn Hostel (the cab is necessary as the [View Full Entry]

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Arriving in Memphis I meet my newest couchsurfing host, Carolina. She picks me up from the station and takes me to her studio apartment. The next day is filled with downtown Memphis. Well, that was the plan. What I didn't take into account was the heat. On the other hand, sitting in a Memphis bar is not the worst thing in the world - be it night or day. Later the visit to the Civil Rights museum, situated in the hotel that bore witness of Martin Luther King's death, blows my mind. Amazingly done and so big and interesting that three [View Full Entry]

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How do you describe Nashville in one word? Country! As I arrive (via Greyhound - what else?) and start walking towards the hostel I realize it is just waaaay to hot. Hence I go to the Country Music Hall of Fame where you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about Country music - and more. Getting to the hostel is not as easy as I had hoped though, as it is a good half hour walk from downtown an the bus not so easy to locate. Once more the staff advise to go out in pairs or more at [View Full Entry]

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On my way to Texas I decide to make a little detour to Hot Springs, Arkansas. A little town, whose center wraps itself around 50 square miles of forest and hills that is Hot Springs National Forest. The name comes from the towns main attraction, the hot springs that have been used in the town's baths for over a hundred years. Back in the late 19th century the wealthy from all over the country would come here to relax in the hot waters. Why is the water so hot and healthy? It is rainwater that is absorbed into the rock and [View Full Entry]

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Back on the road, the journey continues to Chicago. Skyscrapers instead of lakes, stores instead of fields, the city girl is back in the city... Following the Bible's architectural walking tour and enjoying some coffee in the park, the day goes by. As dinner time approaches I make my way to the hostel, expecting a noodles-with-whatever-is-in-the-free-food-shelf dinner. Yet, just as I put the water on the stove a lady comes up to me asking if I was here for the free dinner. Telling her that I wasn't she asks me if I wanted to get free dinner. Well, obviously you don't [View Full Entry]

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Back with Allison, I help her move to a new apartment that she shares with two brothers who brew their own beer. Not to mention the two pools... More old faces keep popping up at a party where I am introduced to the great game of beer pong. Interestingly one gets better at it the more one drinks. Or so I've been told... apart from interesting expressions like the one in the title and beer pong, peppermint patty enters my repartois of alcoholic drinks: open your mouth and let strange people pour chocolate sirup and peppermint liquor into it, repeat if [View Full Entry]

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The next reunion occurs , when Amanda picks me up. Not only was she one of my closest friends when in MI, but she also still has my year book. So, when we chill out at her house later on to look at the "old" pictures, I make a scary discovery: Two thirds of all the people I went to school with are now one or more of the following: Married, divorced, have children, own a house, engaged, or serving in the military. Growing up here sure is a lot different. While at Amanda and Keith's house, my Wii skills improve [View Full Entry]

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