All good things must come to an end....

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And so we arrived at our final stage - Gettysburg. On the drive from Roanoke to a final shopping stop on the edge of town we left Virginia and passed through West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, touching briefly back into Maryland, all before lunch. Including Tennessee, North Carolina and the District of Columbia that makes 6 states in all - only 44 to go!!
Stopping of four a quick round of mini golf we arrived in Gettysburg to our hotel right in the middle of the town. Gettysburg has a real town centre, which sets it aside from any previous experience we have had in the States whereby towns have consisted more of main roads with malls and plazas at regular intervals.
The main focus of our visit was the battle ground, a national park covering about 10 square miles just outside the town. First thing the next morning we met our guide, Dave. The unique part about this tour is that your guide drives you around the park in your own car whilst he tells you all about the events of July 1st to 3rd 1863 - the Battle of Gettysburg. Our tour was scheduled for 2 hours and lasted a good 45 minutes longer than that. My previous knowledge of the Civil War would have struggled to fill the back of a match box. A small one. I now feel I could bore people about it for hours. You will know by now how I love a good tour guide and this guy took us out of our tour of American history on a real high.
On our return to the visitor centre we watched a film which covered the battle itself in less detail but put it and the Civil War in general into real context for a newby like myself. We then saw the Colorama. This is a 360 foot ish oil on canvas painting of the three days, presented in the round and originally painted only 20 years after the battle. What put things into real context for me was the fact that this was only 51 years before the outbreak of WW1. Tens of thousands of men on each side lost their lives. In the afternoon we visited the cemetery, the site of Lincoln's famous address. There are row upon row of stone slabs representing the unknown dead. Many Confederates were never named and originally buried in mass shallow graves. It is known as one of the bloodiest battles ever and standing on the very ground where it happened was a harrowing experience at times.
The weather has again been kind. Clear sunshine and about 65 degrees - perfect for sight seeing. We spent the afternoon driving around the park a second time and having a better look at all the monuments to the 11 confederate States and the Union battalions. The site of the battleground is a place of contradiction - the events of those the days were bloody and horrific but what is left behind is a scene of beautiful tree lined rolling fields and farm land stretching as far as the eye can see. The war continued for a further 2 years but the Confederate failure to take Pennsylvania at Gettysburg is considered to be the turning point that eventually led to the United States that we have today. Once the Confederates surrendered each state had to individually agree to the terms of the Union which included the abolition of slavery, before they were permitted to join.
Our final history lesson complete for now it is time to head for home. As with all great adventures there is a part of me that doesn't want it to end but true to say I've got to that stage where it well be lovely to see family and friends again.
I can honestly say that I've never learnt so much in one holiday. Not just the history, which has been incredible, but also about the culture of modern America. Over what has been nearly three weeks we have done our best to engage with people and understand what is going on around us. There really are a lot of cultural differences and I will never remember them all but, to end, here are a few of my own observations...
There are two words used to excess. "Super" and "awesome" . The former is used to express size rather than excitement, super big, or long or fun for example. In the words of the Lego Movie song(and if you haven't seen it I can recommend it - it's really funny!!) EVERYTHING here is"awesome!!!!!!". It's a word that can be heard throughout the day every day. Often pronounced without the w so it sounds more like "assome" and frequently in a high pitched voice. Not annoying in any way. Oh, I nearly forgot, EVERY time you thank someone you get a "you're welcome" straight back at you.
As we moved South and West the average size of the locals got noticeable bigger but the portion sizes have been at their largest here in the North. At every place we have eaten, and there have been many, other diners by the dozen have left with take out boxes. Last night we asked our waitress whether people actually eat their contents. She was clearly surprised by the question and replied that personally she will either eat the food later that day or for lunch the following day. The reason, she said, is that the portions here are so large and people don't like to waste food. Really??? Has no-one thought of smaller portions? With the exception of a couple of starter size salads neither of us has managed to compete a meal for the entire trip. The portions really are ridiculous in the main. And hardly any veg. Plenty of salad, occasional green beans, but that's it. That's the thing I've missed the most. I'm starting to crave cauliflower and swede!! Also. If you enjoy an eclectic diet, when in America if you haven't heard of it then a general rule of thumb is that it probably isn't worth trying. Biscuits, grits and hush puppies have all proved that to us. Barbeque and salads have been consistently very good. The thought and attention put into sandwiches here puts our own to shame. I have not seen lamb on the menu once.
To the majority of Americans the UK is totally insignificant. I doubt if many know where it is our anything about it. A lot of people we spoke to are only concerned with their own state or area and we often got blank looks when asked where we had been or were visiting next. As a nation we shouldn't underestimate our own insignificance.
Finally, for those of you who work in health in the UK, step back and say a prayer for the Safeguarding system. Over here there are adverts on the TV altering people to the signs of abuse. That's all good. I'm all for raising awareness. These ads, however, are by firms of lawyers who are offering to sue establishments and individuals direct. Scary stuff.
And finally a few statistics. Number of hotels - 8. Number of hours spent working out how the showers work in each one - about 8. Number of whirlpool baths -3(I know - Awesome, right?! ) Number of photos taken - about 500. Number of people who loved our accent - sorry, I lost count. Number of times I came second at mini golf - 3. Number of times Bill came second at mini golf -0. Number of books read - half a Discworld. Number of times I got thrown upside down at speed in a theme park - about 20 😊)
That's it from me. Thank you so much for joining us on our journey. The positive comments I've received have been unexpected and much appreciated. Next year we plan for the four of us to return to Florida in part to celebrate my 50th, but I feel himself already had the germ of an idea for another adventure the year after that... The Book is now exhausted and showing its age. It will be retained for posterity and afforded a place of honour on our shelves where it will look down wisely on its successor. That there will be one of those I am fully confident...
And so before embarking on his next project our sponsor has some final words on this one.....
As we head for the old country the question is how are the Colonies doing? It would be easy to pick on some of the less convincing aspects of the American way of life. TV, cuisine, wine, and distinctly dodgy driving. However, what is most remarkable is that they are there at all. On our travels we have looked at some key points in their development. Jamestown struggled to gain a foothold, the British could have easily defeated Washington and the North's victory at Gettysburg was a close run thing. Had any of these events gone the other way I suspect the USA would be very different place and therefore the world.
To sum this up I turn to Pete Townsend's last words of farewell, " Be lucky"!!

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