So a little about Indiana....it is known for the Indy 500 race, farmers, corn and a good pork tenderloin sandwich. The people of Indiana are called 'Hoosiers' but no-one really knows where this comes from. One theory is that early settlers knocking on a door were met with 'Who's here?' which eventually became 'Hoosier'.
Indianapolis is the state capital. The Indy 500 is held here - the first race being in 1911. The test track was 2.5 miles long and is now the site of the actual races.
Had a lazy morning chatting with the ladies, which was nice. Jennifer told us a story that when travelling Nepal she asked for a hot chocolate from a menu. The lady said, "You will have to wait a bit for it" before heading out to the back to milk a yak!!!! Hilarious. I can just see it now in Toulouse at the local Starbucks, tied up to the nearest post for the freshest of flavours.
We all got a couple of things done on our computers before Sue kindly offered to take us on a drive around the city and show us some of the sites.....here is a little of what we saw:
#Scottish Rite Church
#Monument Circle - shows the centre of the city. If looked at from above, it forms a large cross with the fountains at the bottom. You can normally drive around it but there was an event on today that prevented us from doing so. There are lots of cafes and shops situated around it.
#State Capital Building - The blue flag is that of Indiana. It seems that the majority of City Halls/State Houses that I have seen so far on this trip resemble each other, with large domes and similar architecture.
#Masonic Cathedral
#Public Library - a great mix of old and new. The beautiful old building sadly could no longer display all of the resources that they had on offer and so this glass fan-shaped extension was built. There are numerous meeting rooms and study areas that can be seen through some of the windows as you go past.
#Art work and murals - again, like in most cities that I have visited, there are murals and pieces of art painted onto the sides of buildings. Much preferred to the grey concrete walls that would have been there otherwise, but also great that local artists are given a chance to display their talents.
#Fountain Square - cute little artsy area
After our tour, Jennifer had to drive to her next city so Sue and I had a couple of relaxing hours at the house to eat some lunch and chat much more before I had to leave too. Here is Sue with Pumpkin.
I have to admit that I am a little jealous of Sue.....I always dreamed of a house with lots of books in it and she has her own personal library that she built on a wall!!! How beautiful is this, especially the ladder reaching to the top.
Before leaving, Sue tried to make a Cafe Latte with her posh machine..........let's just say that a milk volcano was formed. It's all with the best intentions Sue, but it was a wee bit messy lol.
So I had to say goodbye to the lovely Sue and head off on my drive to the Windy City of Chicago where I will meet up with my old uni chum, Andy, tomorrow for our trip to D.C. On the way there, I passed a HUGE windfarm......the turbines went on for over 6 miles!! They are quite hypnotic if you have time to sit and watch them....good job I didn't do that or the car would be driving itself (mind you, automatics seem to pretty much do that anyway) ;-)
I arrived in Chicago during rush hour so it took a little longer than expected due to traffic on the interstate that goes around the city. It was great to see the Willis Tower again and remember being up there with Andy watching some fireworks go off near Navy Pier the last time I was here.
My host tonight is Fatima. An Army veteran who is now back in school. It took me ages to find NO parking so I ended up having to go in a public multistorey....there is not a lot of parking in Chicago and it costs a fortune! Glad I give the car back tomorrow if that is the case. Fatima lives in a studio apartment and I am on an air mattress on the floor. She hasn't opened up to me much even though I have tried to make conversation, which seems a shame. I'm not exactly sure what she hopes to get out of couchsurfing if she ignores her surfers.
I decided to go out for dinner so went to a tavern just a few doors down from the apartment. It was good food and there was a quiz going on so I stayed a little longer to see how I would do. I didn't do too bad on some rounds considering I don't live here. Pat on the back for me ;-)
So it's finishing blogging time and then I think I will head to bed as Andy gets to Chicago early tomorrow morning and I don't want to keep him waiting.
Night all!
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