There is something exciting about picking up a hire car. I'm not quite sure what it is. I had been talking with friends about taking a road trip south for some time. And the group had kind of grown. So we booked a six seater vehicle. My reasoning for heading south was that I come from the UK, you're never quite sure how much sunshine that you might get; and I felt like doing at least some hanging out in the sun; just in case we experience a sun free summer in the UK.
It was my job to pick up the hire car the day before we departed. So I felt a frisson of excitement as I headed down into Alexandria, on the DC Metro to pick up the vehicle. My excitement was tinged with nervousness; I was nervous because my navigation is never great at the best of times, and to some extent I've got spoiled by satellite navigation. It was a beautiful sunny day. As I picked up the car, my navigational strategy was simple. Drive back towards DC, keeping the Potomac river on my right. Then cross the river and - to some extent at least - hope for the best.
In many ways, the road layout worked to my advantage. The bridge opened out onto 16th street. I was staying between 16th and 14th. So all I had to do was follow 16th street until things looked familiar. Success, I got home.
After a great day with another local person and a great night out with her, some friends I know from the UK (living near DC) and a fellow traveller, it was time to head south.
The road trip commenced the next day. Weather bright and inviting. I had to pick someone up, who was staying a little way north in DC. Then we were meeting the four others, who were getting a bus down from New York. I was again feeling a bit nervous about driving an unfamiliar vehicle, in a unfamiliar town on the other side of the road (from that which I am used to). But I found her house without too much trouble and together we managed to make our way to the Martin Luther King library in central DC.
The other four arrived on their bus that was on time. So it's time for some introductions. You know Benedict Alexander, already. Then we had a young Dutch lady, let's call her Nanouk Vink. I think that you've met Nora Ponteland already (albeit briefly). Nora was joining us with her good mate Petulia Tait. Finally there was an American fellow that we'd met in New York. In reality, he's generally known by a nickname, so let's call him Jive.
There is something that is just great fun about travelling in a minibus. I tried to think of a better word tham fun. Something that better captures the delight. A word that describes the joy of travelling together with a bunch of fun people. And I thought about it for a while; I've stuck with fun it was fun. With a group of people that you know well there is lots of potential for fun and good humour; with the exciting expectation of warm weather and good fun to come at the end of the road trip.
We had some way to go. DC to Orlando. We were travelling overnight, through the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and then into Florida, a road distance of about eight hundred and fifty miles. I was kind of in and out of sleep as the night gradually passed. But our driver seemed to be able to keep driving all night.
Finally, night turned into day and we arrived in Orlando. We had our breakfast and found our way to the hotel complex. The hotel had a swimming pool and jacuzzi and was really quite luxurious. It was strange for me after either staying in youth hostels or on people's couches for the weeks preceding it. Also, when I was growing up our family holidays involved caravanning in scotland so this place was different and totally new experience for me.
When we got to Orlando we did things that you might expect holiday-makers to do out there. We went around an art gallery, we went to NASA, we went to universal studios for the day; and we spent a lot of time hanging around the pool enjoying the weather and having a drink. All of which was fabulous. My next stop was Seattle, where there is an entirely different climate.
It was my job to pick up the hire car the day before we departed. So I felt a frisson of excitement as I headed down into Alexandria, on the DC Metro to pick up the vehicle. My excitement was tinged with nervousness; I was nervous because my navigation is never great at the best of times, and to some extent I've got spoiled by satellite navigation. It was a beautiful sunny day. As I picked up the car, my navigational strategy was simple. Drive back towards DC, keeping the Potomac river on my right. Then cross the river and - to some extent at least - hope for the best.
In many ways, the road layout worked to my advantage. The bridge opened out onto 16th street. I was staying between 16th and 14th. So all I had to do was follow 16th street until things looked familiar. Success, I got home.
After a great day with another local person and a great night out with her, some friends I know from the UK (living near DC) and a fellow traveller, it was time to head south.
The road trip commenced the next day. Weather bright and inviting. I had to pick someone up, who was staying a little way north in DC. Then we were meeting the four others, who were getting a bus down from New York. I was again feeling a bit nervous about driving an unfamiliar vehicle, in a unfamiliar town on the other side of the road (from that which I am used to). But I found her house without too much trouble and together we managed to make our way to the Martin Luther King library in central DC.
The other four arrived on their bus that was on time. So it's time for some introductions. You know Benedict Alexander, already. Then we had a young Dutch lady, let's call her Nanouk Vink. I think that you've met Nora Ponteland already (albeit briefly). Nora was joining us with her good mate Petulia Tait. Finally there was an American fellow that we'd met in New York. In reality, he's generally known by a nickname, so let's call him Jive.
There is something that is just great fun about travelling in a minibus. I tried to think of a better word tham fun. Something that better captures the delight. A word that describes the joy of travelling together with a bunch of fun people. And I thought about it for a while; I've stuck with fun it was fun. With a group of people that you know well there is lots of potential for fun and good humour; with the exciting expectation of warm weather and good fun to come at the end of the road trip.
We had some way to go. DC to Orlando. We were travelling overnight, through the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and then into Florida, a road distance of about eight hundred and fifty miles. I was kind of in and out of sleep as the night gradually passed. But our driver seemed to be able to keep driving all night.
Finally, night turned into day and we arrived in Orlando. We had our breakfast and found our way to the hotel complex. The hotel had a swimming pool and jacuzzi and was really quite luxurious. It was strange for me after either staying in youth hostels or on people's couches for the weeks preceding it. Also, when I was growing up our family holidays involved caravanning in scotland so this place was different and totally new experience for me.
When we got to Orlando we did things that you might expect holiday-makers to do out there. We went around an art gallery, we went to NASA, we went to universal studios for the day; and we spent a lot of time hanging around the pool enjoying the weather and having a drink. All of which was fabulous. My next stop was Seattle, where there is an entirely different climate.
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