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Published: March 19th 2007
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I'm with Stupid....
Here's me posing with someone we met on one of our shopping trip stops on the way to Montgomery - didn't have a lot to say though.... We’ve had a great opportunity to do some travel over the last couple of weeks. Fiona has been sent to the US Naval Supply School which is located in Athens, Georgia (see the attached map) to complete a four week course. Making the most of this opportunity, I drove up to Athens (which is about a 7 hour drive) on Thursday to allow for an early departure as soon as the course finished for the week. The destination: Alabama. Fortunately not too many on the course were keen to work late on Friday so we found ourselves on the road much earlier than expected heading for Montgomery the Capital of Alabama. The plan was to arrive in Montgomery and see the sights and then head up to Birmingham (the largest city in Alabama) that night. Most Americans looked at us like we were Tasmanian when we told them we planned to go to Alabama; the standard response was “Why would you wanna go there? There’s nothing there at all.” The main reason we wished to go there was to drive a large proportion of what is known as the ‘Civil Rights Trail’. Alabama was home to much of the violence and
Montgomery Civil Rights Memorial
This memorial chronologically details the key effects and dates of those who lost their lives during the struggle to rid the US of segregation. It normally has water flowing over it symbolising healing but was under repair at the time protests that were associated with the Civil Rights Movement throughout the late 50’s and into the 60’s. As we didn’t know a great deal about this aspect of American history we thought it would be a great way to educate ourselves and hopefully see some inbred yokels.
Well after a lot of piss farting around (which included two shopping stops for Fiona at discount warehouses that were on the side of the Interstate highway - some bargains were found so not all was wasted!) we managed to arrive in Montgomery early in the afternoon. Whilst there isn’t a great deal to see, what is there was really worth the drive. Our first stop was the Civil Rights Memorial which unfortunately was undergoing renovations when we arrived, however it had a very educational museum which we managed to get 20 mins in before it closed. The museum was actually more like a memorial and was there primarily to remember those who died (aka were murdered) during the struggle to end segregation. It was an amazingly high-tech but well presented place which was quite touching. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to explore it in depth but we got to see
Confederate White House
These are the steps where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the Confederate President and where Martin Luther King held peace rallies. If you look closely you can see Fiona standing at the top of the stairs which shows how impressive this building really is. much more of this in Birmingham. Next stop was the Alabama State Capital building - not because it was the State Capital, but because the building was the Confederate White house and the location that Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the President of the Confederate States. It was also the location that Martin Luther King addressed many of the Civil Rights Rallies. It was an amazing building with a fantastic memorial to the Confederate soldiers in the grounds. Just down the road was the church Martin Luther King preached at during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. After seeing these sights we hit the road for Birmingham.
We arrived at Birmingham and checked into a hotel after dark and decided to head down to ‘Nick and Robb’s BBQ’ which promised to be authentic American tucker. Considering the name of the place we thought it would just be sacrilegious not to order good old fashioned Southern Ribs. I have to say it was one of the best meals I have eaten, and Ian you are going to leave the states very very fat indeed!! We got up relatively early next morning and headed towards the Civil Rights
Confederate War Memorial
This is an arty farty photo I tried to take of the Confederate War Memorial in the front of the Confederate Whitehouse. Not bad on a camera held together with elastic bands and blutac!! Memorial. This was one of the best museums I have ever visited. It used reconstructions, technology and participation to explain the rise and eventually success of the Civil Rights Movement. It was a very confronting memorial which didn't glorify one side or the other, but really challenged the ideals that we all have. It really was a confronting and moving experience. Opposite the memorial is the 16th Street Church which was bombed in 1963 killing 4 young girls, and the park which was the location for the ‘Children’s March’. Police Officers used water cannons and set dogs onto the children in order to disperse the crowds. We were lucky (or unlucky enough depending on you point of view) to meet a ‘hustler’ who was a 16 year old boy at the Children’s Protest. He now made a living bailing up tourists in the park and telling them his story and the significance of the memorials in the park for change. So after unloading about $8.73 in coins on him (and remember - the Americans still use 1c coins) we decided it was time to go and see Birmingham’s pride and joy - The Vulcan. The Vulcan is the world’s largest
Dr Martin Luther King's Church
This is the church that Dr King preached at and used to co-ordinate the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. cast iron statue and stands atop a giant podium overlooking the city. It has to be the crappiest over-rated lump of poo we have ever seen. The podium he stands on top is so big that you can’t make out any detail from the ground other than his head is so large and out of proportion to his body he looks like a character off South Park. We also thought he was wearing a dress but it turns out he is wearing an Ironsmiths apron. Disturbingly when you look at the statue from behind it seems he must have suffered terribly from ‘Pant Chaffing’ and was a lot more comfortable ‘going Commando’. Weird.
After this disturbing end to our tour in Birmingham we once again hit the road - this time heading for Atlanta, Georgia, the host of the 1996 Olympic Games. We decided we should get off the interstate highways and into the ‘back country’ to see what local Alabama was all about. Another highlight was a quick stop at ‘Telladega Speedway’, location for the Will Ferrell movie ‘Telladega Nights’. We couldn’t resist a couple of poses at the front of the Speedway.
Although there wasn’t a
16 Street Church
This is the church was bombed by the Klu Klux Klan on September 15, 1963 killing four young girls and injuring another 20 people. The photo is taken from the park which the 'Children's March' took place. great deal to see in Alabama, what we did see was really worth the visit. The Civil Rights Movement was something we didn’t know a great deal about, and it was very confronting and challenging to learn of the hardships and sacrifices many people made for something they believed in. All in all, Alabama was a great place to visit, and oh yeah, we did see a few kids with buck teeth who obviously had an ‘Uncle Dad’.
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Rich
non-member comment
Vulcan!
Not sure which is weirder....a statue going commando or a commando looking at a statue going commando while the commando is most likely looking at the statue going commando whilst being commando himself! Confused....I am! Sounds like you are having an awesome time mate. Keep up the info tours for me anyway! Will also probably seeing you in the next couple of weeks when you are back home. Can't wait to fill you in on news. Certainly not as interesting as Vulcan....which by the way I will try and stick as your new nickname when you return!