Indianapolis - Cincinnati

Indianapolis - nice name but not much to see. Still, an overall good feeling about the town, with its rejuvenated downtown area. It is organised around Monument Circle, dedicated to the glory of Indiana soldiers who fought in many wars - obviously - and the State House.

 

Corn fields after corn fields, we drove on to Cincinnati. It gives a sense of being in "the middle" of the USA ("the middle" also in reference to the funny TV show fictionnally set in Indiana). It is so flat here! About Cincinnati itself, no picture as there was no time to visit. It was straight to the Master tennis tournament.

  

The tournament is well organised with friendly staff and uncharacteristically decent food, glorious weather, and unremarkable shopping.

 

Whatever, what counts is the tennis! The matches were great with lots of tie-brakes. The American crowd was happy with the strong performance of Isner and Serena.

Yet, both of them would go on to loose their respective final.

The winner was Nadal, who is getting better and better at playing on hard courts.

It is strange to write it, but the best moment was after the matches, at Cincinnati airport. We had to leave before the end of the women's final and were standing in the queue at the security check. We spotted Granollers and Lopez, the two players who lost the men's doubles final. And then, looking back, Nadal was also in the line! I quickly put my Swiss-Spanish T-shirt back on. Thanks to the snake-like queue, I got to come across from Nadal, who autographed my T-shirt! Awesome.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico labels itslef "la isla del encanto". So let's verify. First, a good sign is that the label is in Spanish. Good point! And to my surprise, Spanish is really the dominant language there. Good for my practice. So let's translate - the island of enchantment.

Second, since Puerto Rico was the second place the Spanish "discovered" in America (in 1493), it has a charming Spanish look. The old town - well renovated - has nice colorful houses, with their traditional patio, cobblestone streets, a protective wall, a big church.

Third, while the Spanish were not the nicest of colonizers, they built a big castle - el morro - to protect San Juan. It proved useful against the Dutch and the English, but not against the Americans.

Third, the vegetation is lush and we enjoyed a good hike in El Yunque national forest, up to the cool waterfalls La Mina.

Fourth, the beaches! Waow. The water was so welcoming. One of the best beach was in Luquillo, where you can combine a relaxing swim with tasty food (for example, a pineapple stuffed with seafood and rice) and a glass of parcha - the local passion fruit drink. Talking about food, the desserts were also delicious, thanks to the Spanish influence.

Fifth, Puerto Rico has some natural wonders like the Camuy cave. Another good hike and, of course, the guide had to point at formations and argue that they looked like Jesus and angels... In the cave, we saw some bats flying around, which reminded me that bats are the only type of wild mammals who populate to the island.

Sixth, Puerto Rico is also an island of scientific enchantment. The world largest radio telescope sits in a natural hole in between small peaks at Arecibo. Like a lot of technological constructions, it is an impressive achievement, yet it looks a bit outdated or even eroded. Its moment of fame is probably its background role in the James Bond movie Goldeneye. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH2qnn4D0kY

Seventh and best was the discovery of bio-luminescence! Puerto Rico boasts three of the five places on Earth were you can see these little organisms (pyrodinium bahamense) create light. After paddling on a kayak through a mangrove canal, we reached a lagoon where these micro organisms live. Once it became dark, we stirred the water and there it was - light was created! Apparently, these micro organisms generate light by rotating on themselves when they sense that the water gets stirred by its approaching predator (a prawn). By doing that, the prawn becomes visible to its predator (a fish). Generating light is an inventive defense mechanism. And I must say that observing light being created by these micro organisms and then a fish swimming towards that light was a brilliant experience.

Williamsburg - Jamestown

How far can you go back in history in the USA ? Interesting question indeed. Well, one major answer is to be found in Jamestown, which boasts to be the "first permanent colony of the English people, the birthplace of Virginia and of the United States". Nothing less! And yet, when did that happen? On May 13, 1607... 

There is not much left of the "James Fort". The fences built in a rectangular form have been recreated. Most of the area is just open fields, with some digging going on. It is difficult to assess how things were in those days, except that the situation looked very precarious. One of the best known figure of the early Jamestown is Pocahontas, the Indian lady who eventually married an Englishman, and traveled to England to demonstrate that Indians are not enemies.

More impressive is the town of Williamsburg, which succeeded Jamestown as capital of Virginia in 1699. There is recreated - emphasis on this word - Colonial Williamsburg. Walking around, it feels like between in an outdoor museum or maybe even a sort of theme park. For example, there is the Governor's Palace and the Capitol. Some actors play the role of historical figures, moving around on horses or in a carriage, and dressed like in the old days.

There are also a few main roads with recreated shops, businesses and bars. The local souvenir shop sells "memorabilia" from the old times. "Memorabilia" made in China...!!! Already in those days.

Lastly, it was also the occasion to spend a day at Virginia Beach, a very enjoyable beach. Playing beach volley was most fun.