Home sweet home

New York, Amsterdam, Geneva



 After travelling for 15 hours from NYC to Bulle, I could enjoy our beautifull landscape, and the contrast between an 8mio and a 20'000 inhabitant city.
Subway, air-train, airplane, train, and I was home. Who needs a car unless the americans who are addicted.
As last post of this blog, I'd like to thank the Ray Cadwell's family and Amparo for hosting me, giving me a place where to sleep and sharing a part of their life.
I'd like to thank the one who travelled and visit with me: Byron, John, Greg, Djems, Chris, Christian, Maria...
I'd like to thank Claudia, my Dad and Mom for their tips, help and support to this trip.

Queens, biggest globe in the World

The Bronx, Saturday market

Upper East Side, Guggenheim Museum



Statue of the Liberty

 Travelling was and is for me the occasion to make several friends, to understand the other and myself, to grow and to feel simply alive.

The city were all is faster

Empire State Building at night

Statue on Time Square

A frozen Michael Jackson

The first days I arrived in NY I had the feeling to be in slow-motion, looking around me all the people hurrying up in any directions. This is how the New Yorker notice that you are a tourist: standing, slowly walking, looking around amazed by this bright city full of preciousness. I must say that Xmas time embellished the city: Shopping-windows, Xmas trees, Lights, Xmas-markets and music make the whole enchanting.

Night life in NYC

Leon, Khaleb and Anu

Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry

Duncan, me and Anu

We were passing by Chinatown, when we ear music from one of the building. We get up the stairs up to a beautifull flat. It was a private party and we still don't know what it was about, but we get free drinks served by professionnal bar keepers, and a private DJ was animating the party.
Further in the night we went to Time Square, its a really touristic area but in the Underground Village, we met mostly locals people.
Greenwich Village, a gay neighbourhoud, is also one of the most busy place in NYC for clubbing and listening to live music.

New York!!!

Broadway Shield

To day I left Philadelphia for New York. The Youth Hostelling I stay is really cool and provide good deals to visit the city... I guess New York is a little bit like our Paris in France in more exciting maybe. I'll be home in one week, from now on it has been 6 weeks that I have been travelling in the United States. I can already say that this trip was a really rewarding experience.

Empire State Building Sculpture

Philadelphia

The Liberty Bell

City Hall

Chamounix Mansion

I arrived Yesterday to the Chamounix Mansion in Philadelphia. I was surprised in good. The hostel looks much better than my two previous motel and Dave the receptionnist was nice to me. The Saturday night fever made Andy, Marius and me move to the Roxxy. A Philie nightclub.
Today I have learned again more about the American History. The declaration of Independance have been ratified in Philadelphia the 4th of July 1776. The Liberty Bell were ring to celebrate this event.

Baltimore

Red Carpet Inn in Baltimore

I write this post from a commercial center that sales laptops! Really funny.

But I'll tell you how it is for me to be in Baltimore; the city where the lyrics of the national "hymne" have been written. It is not even winter and the weather is so cold. This morning, no sun shone in the sky. All is white, exept most inhabitant. of this city.

Piece of Art: Please don't seat in!

Botanical Garden

Hard Rock Café

I fear the night and the black. But actually murder are commited mostly by daylight. This week: 3, this year: 206; is the score of the crimes (not death) in Baltimlore. Scarriing? A little bit, but Baltimore is a 651'154 inhabitants city. And this week was murdering speaking quiet. I think the cold weather keep the killers indoor.
Today I visited the Baltimore Historic society center and the Walter Art Museum.
I could reed on the Internet that my next hostelling place is not so good, but it's in  Philadelphia and hopefully due to the out of season time, the place will be calm and safe.
I drank a beer in the Hard Rock Cafe, and had a nice talk with the bar keeper: Chris. The beer cost me 6$ but the spot was really nice.

Lost in Washington

On a Xmas market in DC

I was sure once or twice to get lost in this huge city!! Leaving the subway station I my way to the hotel. It was 7p.m. so the sun was down since almost one and half hour. I could barely see the name of the streets. I spent 15 minutes in unknown streets until I ask a couple of young people if I was on the right way to reach my hotel. They tell me that I didn't and offered me to take a ride with them up to my hotel. What of course I accepted and I'm still thanksfull to Malcolm (the Scotish) and his girlfriend.

Washington DC Subway

Washington DC



United-States Capitole




Washington Monument

 Unfortunately the computer I use at the hotel doesn't offer me the possibility to show you pictures, but I'll make the effort to describe you my two days in the Capitale of the United States.
Yesterday was a hard day. I woke up at 5 a.m. to leave a safe and very pleasant home. Hereby I'd like to thank Amparo for his generosity and hospitality. I arrived in Washington from Richmond at 9 o'clock. My first worry was to find my hotel to drop off my luggage. Quiet before midday I began freely to visit the city. The weather was windy, cold, freezing. The buildings I visited - the US Capitole, the Library of Congress and the US Supreme Court - were big, large and tall, designed in a greco-romain architecture. It was really confortable to visit the inside of this monuments due to the outside cold weather. The birds were trying to reach the ice of in front of the US Capitole lake.
This morning I woke up in the cold of my motel room. It was hard to get out of the bed, nevertheless the sun shone outside. Programm of the day: American History Museum, Washington Monument, White House and Art Gallery. What I prefer were the History Museum and the Art Gallery. Both were free and could necessite one full day to be visited. Unfortunately it was not allowed to take pictures inside the art gallery.

X-mas illumination

Are you in the mood to celebrate Chrismas? 

Gunshow

In Virginia, it's aload to own and to wear a weappon. It's a constitutionnal right. People worship to buy and sale their riffle, gun, baionnettes etc. The big canon cost 4000 $, interested? Nice decoration for your garden...

Arepas

Corn flour, butter, water, salt and a lot of Mozarella.

Richmond

On the first picture, you can see the entrance of the Black History Museum. It is not a coincidence if the emancipation of the black people lays in the middle of the civil war. The confederate States were against the emancipation. The farm industry needed the slavery. The yankies, who was more industrially developped, didn't need the slavery. The black people emancipation is one of the reason of the civil war. Abraham Lincoln announce the emancipation 1862, and the civil war lasted from 1861 up to 1865.

The man riding the Horse is George Washington, he is the president of the USA who made the country independant from Great Britain and then he presides the writing of the american constition 1887.

This is the St-Johns Church

Parks and Museum from Richmond

Amparo invited me to visit her city. The weather was cold today but we had to many things to look at, to be discouraged. We first begin with a walk in the Maymount Park. This was the property of Sallie and James Dooley who decided to offer their home to the city. The park costs the city 10'000$ a day. Gardeners and farmers take care of the park and its animals. 

The celebrities you can see beside Abraham Lincoln are Amparo Forrero and Myself. One more time we have been told about the civil war. Abraham Lincoln was murdered in Washington DC 10 days after his visit to Jefferson Davis, the leader of the confederacy (South States), in Richmond. Jefferson Davis Hous (last picture) was the head quartier of the Confederacy during the civil war. Amparo and myself had a private guide to visit this important building for the american history. Unfortunatly I don't remember the name of the guide, but it was really casual to visit this monument in a small small group.

On the shopping mall

Amparo and me had a nice time looking at clothes and gadgets in this huge mall. Spending money in shopping center is the first hobby in America. "In god we trust" is the proverb of the american currency. Because God is as much in the churches than in the malls.

First Day in Richmond

Richmond played a great role during the american civil war in the second half of the 19st Century. This city was the capital of the Confederates States (South States-the Confederacy). And it was also the most northern city of the Confederates States, wich mean it was a strategic area. The Yankies (North States) had more weappon due to their industries, that's why Richmond finally belongs to them (North States-the Federals).

Byron, a friend of Amparo, show me the battlefield of the civil war and a fishing and hunting store. The INSIDE is customized with deers, fish, birds, waterfalls, waterspots. It looks like outside.  

Arrival to Richmond

The time to leave the Cadwell family had come. I'm really thanksfull for their hospitality and hope to visit them in the future. The trip goes on. Next city: Richmond, Virginia. At the Airport I hesitate to take the flight of the gate next mine! (see picture)

. But finally I landed in Richmond. Amparo picked me up at the airport and we went to her home where she prepared me a birds nest. then we ate in a mexican Restaurant and had an ice cream with Byron, one of her friend.