"Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga choo choo?"
Oh dear, Chattanooga; a name that holds such a sense of delicious anticipation. Don't go people, for you too will be disappointed. The railway station is now a hotel where we had hoped to have lunch. However, arriving at 2.00pm, on a Sunday, we found the restaurant had already closed. Not a good start. There are some old coaches on the tracks where you can sleep and there is a beyond pathetic attempt at a museum but, more than that, a sense that it has given up. It was too depressing. Indeed, the whole of the city feels like that. It is a town on its uppers; empty shops, everything for sale, devoid of life, decaying. We have seen many places like this over the years in the US, it is very sad.
Tennessee has many delights though. One of which is the totally fabulous, if incomprehensible, accent. I love it. We stopped for groceries in a large supermarket, seemingly in the back of beyond and found everyone extremely friendly although there was a touch of 'Deliverance' about many of the folks. We passes a huge shop that billed itself 'the largest firework outlet in America' it was tempting, but we desisted. Then a sign saying 'the largest firework shop in THE WORLD' we had to go to that one. It was actually smaller than the first ( no ASA here) but still enormous. It was amazing. The size of a Homebase and piled high with enough explosives to blow up the whole of Tennessee. No glass cases, no locks, no regulations, no thought of safety; wondrous. I was desperate to see some of the more outlandish offerings but we did not make a purchase. Tennessee is very big on fireworks we passed several more huge outlets.
Being Sunday everyone was going to church. We stopped to buy some drinks and there was a large party of churchgoers all dressed in immaculate white. The men and boys wearing white suits, shirts, ties and shoes. The women and girls all gussied up in lovely dresses and suits and hats all in white too. It was as if a party of ghosts with black faces was among us. We loved them.
Having firmly left the Low Country behind we have been through a tiny part of the Appalachians all too beautiful and so green with many lakes and few settlements. We swished through Atlanta on the interstate (we have been before) and rushed on to Nashville, our home for the night as we have an appointment with the Land Rover dealer to fit a Red Booster kit. Adrian decided, when we did not have time to fit it at home, that his two metal knees needed some assistance with the clutch. It is heavy and, with six gears, this is an issue. They seem very happy to fit it for us even though they deal mainly in Range Rovers as the Defender is not sold in the States. So, we will drop it off and then go sightseeing. We are going to visit our 1936 Tatra at the museum that bought it off us a few years ago, amongst other things. We may even have time to take the last train to Clarksville which is near here. Who knows?
Tennessee has many delights though. One of which is the totally fabulous, if incomprehensible, accent. I love it. We stopped for groceries in a large supermarket, seemingly in the back of beyond and found everyone extremely friendly although there was a touch of 'Deliverance' about many of the folks. We passes a huge shop that billed itself 'the largest firework outlet in America' it was tempting, but we desisted. Then a sign saying 'the largest firework shop in THE WORLD' we had to go to that one. It was actually smaller than the first ( no ASA here) but still enormous. It was amazing. The size of a Homebase and piled high with enough explosives to blow up the whole of Tennessee. No glass cases, no locks, no regulations, no thought of safety; wondrous. I was desperate to see some of the more outlandish offerings but we did not make a purchase. Tennessee is very big on fireworks we passed several more huge outlets.
Being Sunday everyone was going to church. We stopped to buy some drinks and there was a large party of churchgoers all dressed in immaculate white. The men and boys wearing white suits, shirts, ties and shoes. The women and girls all gussied up in lovely dresses and suits and hats all in white too. It was as if a party of ghosts with black faces was among us. We loved them.
Having firmly left the Low Country behind we have been through a tiny part of the Appalachians all too beautiful and so green with many lakes and few settlements. We swished through Atlanta on the interstate (we have been before) and rushed on to Nashville, our home for the night as we have an appointment with the Land Rover dealer to fit a Red Booster kit. Adrian decided, when we did not have time to fit it at home, that his two metal knees needed some assistance with the clutch. It is heavy and, with six gears, this is an issue. They seem very happy to fit it for us even though they deal mainly in Range Rovers as the Defender is not sold in the States. So, we will drop it off and then go sightseeing. We are going to visit our 1936 Tatra at the museum that bought it off us a few years ago, amongst other things. We may even have time to take the last train to Clarksville which is near here. Who knows?
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