Back From Vacation # 1!

Well, yes, we just got back.

And yes, I'm actually unwinding by writing here in my blog! Kind of crazy, I know!

Pictures will soon follow, as will more detailed, individual blog entries for each of the places we got to visit. This trip was not really like the Poland trip last year. For one thing, it was a lot shorter. That was over two weeks, and this was just under a week. But another thing, and probably the most important point, is that we did not get to nearly as many new places as we did for Poland last year, because Poland also included a day trip to Berlin, Germany, which itself was worth at least a couple of blog entries. So was Krakow, which we spent a few days at, as well as side trips to the Salt Mines, Auschwitz, and Zakopane, before ending the trip on the family farm in the Biesczady.

Here, we essentially spent the first night at Virginia Beach. And, for the most part, that was what it was: night. We got there much later than I would have wanted or hoped, for a variety of reasons, which I will explain when I have more energy.

We did get to see the beach, and even got to enjoy some spectacular sunset! That was really sweet, and I have some pictures from the experience.

However, the parking situation at Virginia Beach was absolutely absurd, and plus, we had my girlfriend's dog there. He was not allowed on the beach, and so we could not venture far. So, we spend no more than fifteen minutes, tops, at the actual beach. And we drove around the downtown area, looking for someplace to eat, but found nothing.

My parents had visited Virginia Beach a few years ago, and loved it. They raved about it, and so I was looking forward to it. Specifically, my father, who is a big fan of Edgar Cayce, told me of his impressions upon visiting the home of one of the historical figures that intrigued him the most, and I was actually hoping to get a chance to visit his home for myself.

But, alas, that did not happen. With so much driving to do, and so much ground to cover, we would leave Virginia Beach first thing the next morning. Not before my son and I took advantage of the indoor pool that the hotel we got offered, however. My son was especially thankful for that, although he also was difficult to get out of the pool, even though it was getting late (it was near ten, closing time for the pool officially, when I finally managed to get him out). Even well after ten, there were plenty of people still in the pool.

The next day, we arrived in Charleston, South Carolina. Our original destination was supposed to be Myrtle Beach. But, neither my girlfriend nor I are actually beach people. In fact, we are two of the palest people that you'll want to meet. Once, during this trip, my girlfriend saw me swimming, and said that I was "the whitest person on Earth". She said something similarly charming last year, when I swam on the ocean. I think, back then, she said I looked as white as a fish. When I asked her what kind of fish was white, she then turned around and said that I had looked deathly ill.

Naturally, I thanked her for that.

The hotel at Charleston looked nice from the outside. Palm trees were abundant. That might seem obvious to most of you, since South Carolina has the palm tree on the state flag. But I have only once before been in my life been to an area that was warm enough to have real palm trees, and that was San Francisco, back in February of 1996! So, it had been a while! That made seeing them so frequently on this trip feel rather special, even though it might not seem like a big thing to most.

Other than palm trees, it has a nice, sparkling blue pool that looked very inviting. It had some tables and outdoor furniture. And what dominated the back yard, if you will, of the hotel (it really was a one-sided hotel, with another building, a car repair shop, essentially closing off the other side of it, where there were no rooms) was a huge swamp, or marsh. When we first pulled in to the parking lot, the first thing that I noticed was a yellow sign with what appeared to be the shape of an alligator on it. When I took a closer look, sure enough, it was a warning that alligators MAY be in there. I asked the receptionist at the hotel, and she said that she'd never seen any in there. Still, it was cool to think about.

We did see alligators in Charleston, the very next day. That was at Magnolia Plantation, which probably will deserve it's own blog entry. There were quite a few creeks and swamps and lakes there, and some sizable alligators made their homes there, although we only saw some of the smaller ones. I'll explain why specifically in that future blog entry.

The following day (Day #4), we went down to Savannah, Georgia. My girlfriend was reluctant to go, tired as she was of all the driving that we were doing. I kind of put my foot down and insisted, however, having heard that Charleston and Savannah were the two prettiest and most charming cities in the South, as well as New Orleans.

And as it turns out, Savannah was the highlight of our trip! We all loved it, especially my girlfriend!  More on that city, later - and I hope to do it justice, by going a bit into the history, and such.

We wanted to go to Myrtle Beach, since, after all, that was the original destination. But by Friday, it started pouring, exactly when we were setting off to go. The weather forecast called for thunderstorms all night. So, we returned back to Florence, South Carolina, and caught up on rest, essentially.

Yesterday, Saturday, we were scheduled to meet up with my girlfriend's aunt and uncle on Raleigh, North Carolina. That was an interesting side trip in itself, and probably deserves some mention in a future blog entry.

Finally, today, the drive back.

On the way down, some friends had recommended going by way of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and said that if you're heading to Virginia Beach, it is a great alternative to I-95, which is always so choked with traffic, especially by DC and Baltimore. Indeed, that was the way we went down, and sure enough, I was grateful. It took us literally right to Virginia Beach (that's where the bridge empties out to on the south side). It was far quieter and, although perhaps a bit longer in terms of mileage, it was a whole lot less stressful, as well as a bit more scenic, than I-95 could ever hope to be.

Unfortunately, today, I did not go with my gut of returning that way, since it showed that it would take almost two hours more from Raleigh.

But as it turns out, it might have been the better alternative, anyway, because the traffic was ridiculous. From DC up throughout Maryland (intermittently) and throughout Delaware (never had seen so much traffic in Delaware on any previous trips!), it was mostly stop and go traffic. After driving for hours and hours, there is little that can deflate your spirits while traveling as much as significant traffic jams, and that was what we faced.

We are here now, however. We're back, and I'm tired. Just thought I'd do a little writing before actually trying to rest, and so here we are.

Will catch up with the rest later. But for now, this blog was one of the things I was looking forward to getting back to, and I hope to have plenty more to write about very soon! Nice to see y'all here again!