Day 31: Atlanta and Gloucester Point

---

Tom drove Alice to the airport to catch her flight at 6am this morning, so we all said our goodbyes last night. One of the main features of the Pathfinders programme is that you do some independent travelling, so I guess it's time I strike it out alone. We've had a hilarious 3 weeks together as well as got to know each other better – apparently I talk in my sleep; Alice sings in the shower.
Had bfast and jammed everything into my bag. This gets harder every time, and now I have an extra spillover bag. I had bfast and said goodbyes before driving off to the Atlanta History Centre. This was my first time trying to drive and map rad at the same time in the US and it was a complete disaster. I ended up getting lost in the car park of a geriatric hospital. I really don't know why they don't just come up with some new road names instead of using the same one a million times. I also remembered the hire car needed to be returned with half a tank of petrol so tried to fill up, but my card got refused. How I have spent $1000 already I do not know. Anyway, I had some cash so that worked out OK. By the time I eventually arrived I only had an hour, so I did a whistlestop tour of the Civil War. The museum was very good, although it had a definite Confederate leaning with lots of chat about how the South only wanted the right to choose for themselves whether they wanted slavery, and the North wasn't that fussed about emancipation anyway, it was just a tactical manoeuvre. Sure, sure. I bought myself a copy of Gone With The Wind, which doesn't look like my usual trashy holiday reading but I guess I ought to give it a go.

The drive to the airport was no less stressful. The I-75 and I-85 change names (or maybe are the same road, I'm not sure) and have 7 lanes of traffic in each direction, with exits leaving from the left and right, so it's a constant game of changing lanes and dodging other cars just to keep on the same road. Anyway, lots of swearing, but I managed to return the car in good time and get to the terminal. Atlanta airport is the busiest in the world and simply enormous. Apparently most of the US Army was flying out today too, so lots of sobbing mothers and scary skinheads. The flight was made more amusing by the fact I was sat across from the spitting image of Bruce Bogtrotter, who was reading a Bible, and the inflight entertainment had BBC Radio 1 – so good to hear English voices and not have to put up with cheesy adverts.

I was met at the airport by David and Chris Evans, two lovely English people who have lived here nearly 40 years (they are in their seventies). Chris immediately gave me a hug and I knew I'd be fine! Back at the house we had great fun ranting about various political issues (a true Englishman is not prevented from moaning by a lack of knowledge or understanding) and I ate an enormous supper of pork and yummy blueberry pie. I'll have to try and get the recipe for that before I leave! They have a lovely big house which backs onto a river, and a big sailboat too. David did a physics DPhil at Balliol, but spent most of his career working in marine biology doing data analysis and teaching at William and Mary University here. They have a really fluffy collie and a v friendly cat called Katie.

---

Photos

Red ensign
They could resist a little dig at the British: this display case was all about how thy'd abandoned the Confederates and started buying cotton from Egypt and India instead

Military cart
(Apparently these are quite rare)