Daniel's Notepad

21/6/2016

After a beautiful game full of discovering campus I had a free day today. I woke late, but there wasn't a reason for being an early bird today (may be temperatures?).
Let me tell few words about how we Europeans imagine America. OK, Indians and cowboys are off the game, but for many of us, America is something like land of skyscrapers with wide streets, yellow cabs and always overcrowded with people with Starbucks coffee in their hands. America is like in series Friends, Step By Step and The Wonder Years (oh, suburbs, I almost forgot), at least for Czechs where they are very popular.
So I went from German Village across the highway to the river. First note - people had lunch in that moment and there weren't any small stands with hamburgers (where are you, miss Non-healthy Food?). There is a nice promenade along the river - a white one, many benches, peaceful place. I spent there few minutes and then realized that on the log in the water are four or five small turtles - it surprised me a lot, but it is natural if the Columbus is on 40°N.
Than I went to the House of Commons - a very nice building with a nice park all around. Few memorials near the building - nice ones, not a modern art.
Than the Downtown - that is exactly what we expect in America. High acts tapers that you can't get it in one shot by your camera, businessmen and traffic.

Downtown and Skyscrapers (Even with a Big Truck)


I wanted to see it from above, so I found a garage house and use the elevator to the 8^th floor - a beautiful view, but I have photos only in the second camera.
I countinued along High Street in direction to Campus and saw a train. I love trains and know Americans only from photos, so I stayed there for few minutes (it was a very long train and run slow). An old man joined me and we observed the train together - the man also like trains and told me few interesting facts about them. I like meetings like this one!
Near the Origins place I saw a Greek Orthodox church - I made a photo or two becouse it looks differently from the other churches in this area.

Greek Orthodox Church in City Centre


OK, I must admit. I'm a geocacher. I'm hunting geocaches (small plactic boxes) almost everywhere I'm. Today, geocaching led me to the North part of High Street. I discovered a nice park with a small lake. In the lake was a statue of...uhm...two elephants! Kids must love it!
I continued more and more to the north - a nice part of city, very green and peacefull. It was about 6 pm when I started to go back to German Village. It took me about two hours, mostly because I wanted to visit the last special place - Deaf School and Topiary Park near South Washington Avenue. It is a lovely place with topiary sculptures all around. Highly recommended!

Topiary Park


I was tired after coming back to the hotel and fall to the bed. So that was Downtown. Very American, but not as rush as I expected. Glad I've been here in a weekday - it must be different during weekends.
OK, last night in US.

My Room in Typical American Hotel According to European Imagines