The First Week

True I was supposed to blog from the beginning of my adventure but illness and no signal have put paid to this marvellous idea, so now I must play catch up.

My first written word upon this American road trip of wondrous new delights is technically about five days into the fun and giggles. The first few days of a new year are among my favourite days and this time more than usual.

A new Country
A new beginning
A feeling that something truly amazing will happen will occurr.

Since landing in DC on the 29th I have been thrust into the madness that is the US.
Everything is bigger and more friendlier.
Everything is in extremes, and the middle of the road where we Brits do like to tread does not seem to exist over here.

My first breakfast was at the iHop where I participated in what is deliciously known as The Sampler Breakfast. That is much meat and tasty eggs, with plentiful pancakes drowned in syrup. Unfortunately I was just overcoming a stomach bug and my poor bland English tastebuds were not prepared for the tasted sensation covered in grease and salt. Somewhere in an offbeat dirt-track I emptied my system of the fat-i-ful breaking of my fast into a plastic bag, which I left as a present for the locals.

I do know apologise profusely to the person or persons who may happen upon said plastic bag full of bile and hope you will not place too strong a curse upon my person.

Most of my time has been in the South.
I have managed to travel through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

While in the delightful space that was J & Rs (a place that claims in billboard fashion that it is one of the following three things.)

1: The largest Doll Shop in the world
2: The largest Cigar Shop in the world
3: The largest Cigarette Shop in the world.

Although forgive my englishness, I meant to say 'store' not 'shop'.

I had to decide while in this mecca of Dolls and Cigars what I would be collecting for my time in this country.
I went very British and decided upon the greatness of the Shot Glass, thinking it would be the epitome of class.
That and they were cheap and easy to transport not to mention the fact that I probably would use them rather then keep them behind the glass of some dusty cabinet or allow them to habit multitude of boxes now littering my parents attic.

At the moment I am in Alabama and spent my new years eve among a wealth of Southern Belles and Frat boys. Not people I am used to and the atmosphere was something different.

A girl looks expertly out of the corner of her eye. It flicks down your body. Then flicks just as quick back to her group. You've been dismissed. Found wanting.

I feel that if I danced like the crazy English girl does they would look at me like I had stripped naked and played out the Copacabana on my ass cheeks.

Being a loving daughter, sister and friend I have already written and sent out postcards and so have had my first fabulous experience of an American Post Office, which I found to be almost exactly like our own.

Except that the staff are incredibly friendly.

But apparently no one in the south seems to send things abroad. When asked for stamps to the UK, one post office in North Carolina had no idea what stamps to give us and asked us to go away, look it up on Google and come back and tell them. Another knew what we needed but it took around twenty minutes due to the need to go to into the 'VAULT' , yes, the 'VAULT', to get them. So we bought out their entire stock..
...all 9 of them!

The Countess