km 15211

Uuuuh, 11 days left

After I left Montréal on 3rd March in the morning I headed for the US border. This time it took me even longer than usually cause the CBP officer was convinced that I was carrying drugs and searched my car. Of course he didn’t find any. I then continued my journey to Boston. On the way I went through 2 other states, Vermont & New Hampshire – the latter being a really pretty one with at least 1 nice ski hill

In Boston (exactly in Somerville) I met up with Emrah, my host there. He originates from Turkey and came to the US some years ago for studying and now working. In the evening a bunch of friends of his came over and we had a little party at his place. We then intended to go to a club together with the metro, but they somehow “forgot” me at the subway station and so I followed them with Emrah’s roommate Ben by car. In the meantime Emrah went back with the metro to search for me and I met him again when we came back home.

The next day I went downtown with the metro to explore Boston. It is a really nice city with lots of old red brick buildings. Especially Quincy market, Beacon Hill and the area around the wharfs (harbour) is pretty nice. I followed a path through the city which is called Freedrom Trail which passes by all the sites around downtown. Afterwards I went to Harvard University to have a walk around there. In the evening I went to the movies to see “The International” starring Clive Owen. I think it’s a pretty good movie and I like how it turns out in the end.

On Thursday I went out to Provincetown on Cape Cod to have a better view of the Atlantic Ocean than from Boston It was really windy out there but definitly worth the drive (but I think it’s a lot better in summer). In the evening, when I came back to Somerville, I went out for a drink with Emrah and his girlfriend. On Friday morning I then left Emrah, who was a great host and headed for Philly.

I arrived in the early afternoon and met up with Grace at her apartment (a really cool place ) We then went for a coffee at the “Mugshot” a close coffee shop and Grace showed me around the neighbourhood including the Philly art museum and the park at Lemon Hill. We then met up with her boyfriend Dave (he’s in his final year of studying photography) and her sister Gabrielle to go out for dinner at a greek restaurant. Dan, Gabrielle’s boyfriend, met us there. After dinner we went to a house party at friends of Grace while she took the longest way possible to their house to show me all of Philadelphia We hang out there for some time and went back home afterwards.

The next morning (noon) we all together went to the Italian market, basically just having a look around and drinking some awesome Espresso. Grace then went to work and Dave arranged his belongings in his new apartment, while Dan & Gabrielle went to New York (Dan works there). So I explored Philadelphia on my own, took a lot of pictures and had Philadelphia Cheese Steak. Altough it has nothing to do with a steak in the conventional sense it was one of the best things I had since I’m in the States.

I walked around the city until 10 p.m. and then met Grace and Dave at her workplace – the “Mix” pizza & bar on Chestnut street. I had a couple of beers there – thanks to Grace they were very cheap and we finally went home around 3.30 a.m. On Sunday, after giving Grace a little thank you (a gift voucher for the coffee shop) I left towards Washington D.C. Grace also gave me some coffee on the way in her coffee mug – thanks sooooo much. She will definitly be welcome at any place I ever am able to be a host to her.

Arriving in Washington around 4 p.m. I took a walk to Georgetown (the shopping and restaurant area next to the Potomac river) and the university there. The security guard at the university’s library told me that he has ancestors from Austria, who emigrated to Brazil 5 generations ago. In the evening I went to the apartment of Jordan who was supposed to be my host in D.C. When I got there he was not there (he told me that he would come home late) and so I met his housemates first, who somehow gave me a feeling of not being welcome. As he did not come back home until quarter to 11 I decided to go to the HI hostel for that night, cause I had no good feeling with his housemates.

Today I went downtown Washington to explore the numerous monuments there. I walked along New Hampshire Ave. where a lot of African and Central & South American embassies are located, and had a good-morning-coffee at Starbucks. Then I continued to National Mall to see the White House first. Unfortunately Obama didn’t invite me in

I then walked west towards the Potomac river to see the Lincoln Memorial there, which is really huge and impressive (and I somehow really start liking “Abe”). Walking along the river I passed by the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial (hew was the only American president elected for more than 2 times – he was elected for 4 terms) and then reached the Thomas Jefferson memorial. Afterwards I passed by the Washington monument (the huge obelisk) and then walked all the way up to the US State Capitol (about 4 kms from Lincoln Memorial). On my way back to the accommodation (now the Washington International Student Center) I passed by the Canadian embassy and I hope to find the Austrian one as well before I leave.

In the evening I ran (yes I really ran, cause I just had 10 minutes for more than 2 kms) to see “Watchmen” at the cinema. It was quite good but didn’t really excite me. Afterwards I bought myself a huge piece of pizza for all the walking today (almost 30 kms) before I came back to the hostel where I write these lines from.

So, it’s 2 more days in Washington now and then 8 in New York and my 3-months adventure will be over. I really look forward to come home again now!!!

C u in a few days.
Be blessed,
Gergi