visiting SC

Beverages

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:10:00 +0000

After the food roundup here is the one for beverages. First of all you should know that in the US people drink beverages (except coffee) with loads of ice in it. So if you should feel the desire to be recognized as a foreigner order your drink without ice ;-)

The most important beverage in the South is Sweet Tea! It is kind of the national drink down there. Sweet Tea is an ice tea like beverage. It's prepared with a mix of black teas (Orange Pekoe). Southerners pour a lot of sugar in it. I like sweet tea so much that I brought a family size pack of tea bags for sweet tea back to Germany with me!

Other beverages you should try are A&W root beer (it's no real beer. It's a soft drink. Either you love it or you loathe it), Dr Pepper (the American version tastes way better than the stuff you get to buy in Germany. Over here it doesn't taste as strong. Once again the taste is kind of special. Either you'll like it or you won't) and Mountain Dew (can someone explain to me why they won't sell it in Germany on a big scale? People would love it! It's a lemonade that tastes better than 7up and Sprite and has caffeine in it).

And then there are the big three coffee places you should check out. Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts (delicious, delicious donuts - and breakfast!) and Caribou Coffee.

Southern / American Food

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:52:00 +0000

The Southern / American- and the Italian cuisine are my favorites. Every time I get to the US I have a long list of places I'd like to eat at and no matter how long I get to stay I'm never able to scratch every item off my list.

Here is my advise for a delicious (probably 5,000 calories) day in the South (including a few alternatives).

Breakfast

Go to Waffle House. Order an All-Star Special breakfast with eggs, toast, bacon, hashbrowns, a waffle (make sure to spread the butter on top of it. Trust me, it's delicious!) and some coffee. Alternatives are IHOP (International House Of Pancaces) or Denny's. If you don't feel like breakfast you can also get great food for lunch or dinner.

Lunch

Church's Chicken. You have to try fried chicken! Get a combo with chicken pieces, a biscuit (the best one I've ever had), cole slaw (the best one I've ever had) and some additional mashed potatoes with gravy. Alternatives are Chick-fil-A (I haven't had a chance to go there but they are supposed to be delicious), Zaxby's, Bojangles' and KFC.

Dinner

Let's have a burger for dinner. Let's go to Hardee's. Order a Thickburger and some fries. Alternatives (beside the obvious McDonalds and Burger King) are Wendy's (Baconator = great), Sonic Drive-In (chili cheese fries), Jack In The Box and Krystal.

I hope you'll enjoy this day (and the next few days when you decide to try the alternatives, too). Be advides that this is only the tip of the iceberg and that there are a lot more places out there. I'm talking buffet places and restaurants like the Lone Star (see post).

Dip

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:07:00 +0000

If you travel around the South you have to know about dip. Otherwise you're bound to experience some rather odd sights. What is dip? Dip aka smokeless tobacco is a special way to enjoy tobacco without burning and inhaling it. One takes a pinch of dip out of the can and puts it between the lower lip and the gums. The nicotine then gets absorbed through the mouth. One is advised to spit out excess saliva. Otherwise he/she will have a very bad time.

Smokeless tobacco is not a save alternative to cigarettes and may cause tooth loss and/or oral cancer!

So from now on when you get to a supermarket in (the southern parts of) the US you'll know what these small cans in the tobacco department are. If you meet someone who seems to have a swollen lower lip, look again - he might just dip. And if you happen to sit at the gate at the airport and someone next to you keeps spitting into an empty water bottle you know what he is doing.

Wrapping It Up

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:47:00 +0000

This has been my last day in South Carolina. I started it in Santee, drove up to Florence to say goodbye to Charles (and have an awesome lunch at Cracker Barrel), stopped in Columbia for a coffee, in Aiken to admire the old downtown area and am now in a motel in Augusta, Georgia.

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Tomorrow I'll close the circle of this trip by driving to Atlanta where ten days ago my plane from Germany touched down. I had a really incredible time here. Especially thanks to Charles I was able to accomplish a lot. I'm already looking forward to getting back to South Carolina and meet all these great people again.

Santee Indian Mound / Fort Watson

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:27:00 +0000

On my way back to Florence I stopped at the Santee Indian Mound / Fort Watson site. This place was used by Native Americans (the Santee Indians) as a burial site and during the Revolutionary War as a fort by the British (more info here).

The Cabin

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:12:00 +0000

What I like about the United States is that there is so much nature with a lot of wildlife there. Unlike in Germany wildlife still means wild and dangerous. For example you're able to find alligators in the Santee National Wildlife Refuge, have encounters with bears in the forest or stumble upon rattlesnakes. All of this in South Carolina!

When I heard about the possibility to stay in a cabin at the shore of Lake Marion in Santee State Park I had to find out if there were still cabins available. I got lucky and was able to book one for a night.

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It wasn't as adventurous as it might sound. The cabins are located in the Santee State Park forest but they also have electricity, air conditioning, a kitchen with a fridge and a batroom. Still it was a great experience to spend a night there. It was quiet, peaceful and refreshing. While looking out of the window late at night I saw an armadillo walking by the cabin. That was the second time I saw one of these (and the first time I didn't introduce it to my car).

I loved it 'out there' and I can't wait to spend more nights at places like this one.

Barbecue aka BBQ

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:31:00 +0000

Today Charles explained to me the difference between what Germans think American Barbecue is and what American Barbecue really is. American Barbecue aka BBQ is not to just throw some meat on a grill. That is just broiling. Real barbecue takes all day. Sure there is a grill involved but first of all you use it to smoke (usually you use hickory wood) the meat for a few hours and after that you start the broiling process.

(picture by anoldent)

While staying in Santee I was lucky to find out about this neat barbecue place called Lone Star Barbecue & Mercantile. I've always wanted to eat at a local non-chain restaurant and I am really glad that I got to eat there! The Lone Star is a buffet restaurant and serves all kinds of traditional American food from the south. I had fried chicken, pork, barbecue hash, sweet potatoes (with marshmallows), hush puppies and tomato pie. The food was so delicious that I went there on Saturday and again on Sunday!

Santee / Lake Marion

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:03:00 +0000

Since my neighbors at the motel near Charleston were not very agreeable I wanted to spend the next night at a quieter place. After touring Charleston (and btw not being able to find a single place that sells postcards) I got in the car and drove up to Santee at Lake Marion.

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Santee is just a small town near the I-95 with a population of about 740 but I instantly liked that place. Besides Lake Marion other attractions are several golf courses, an outlet mall and Santee State Park.

(picture by Pollinator)

Lake Marion is impressive because it is a man-made reservoir. It is one of these "only in America" things and I was astonished to find out that this lake with a shoreline of 315 miles and the size of 110,000 acres hasn't been there prior to the 1930s!

Charleston

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:58:00 +0000

After visiting Congaree National Park yesterday I decided to get in the car and head down to Charleston. Although driving a car in the US is easier than in Germany driving into cities like Charleston is a whole new thing. You have to go with the flow and don't stop even if you have no clue where you're heading.

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I spent the night in one of the suburbs and was flabbergasted how far the metro area of Charleston goes. I also had to find out that even in this densely populated area certain amenities are not naturally given. I had to drive a few miles to get something to eat because the fast food restaurants in my area had already closed at 8 pm (on a Friday night).

Getting downtown, driving through these narrow one way streets and finding a place to park was an adventure. But to walk these old streets is very rewarding. Charleston is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It was founded in 1670. In its 340 year long history it got through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and a big earthquake. Still the charme of the antebellum city has not vanish.

Congaree National Park

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:22:00 +0000

After my two meetings (one at SC.gov, the other one at the Palmetto Conservation) in Columbia yesterday I decided to visit Congaree National Park.

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Congaree National Park is the only National Park in South Carolina. The drive there is not so pretty but the park makes more than up for it. At the visitor center real park rangers show you around and help you plan your hiking experience. Besides hiking you can also camp and fish there. Unfortunately I didn't bring any hiking equipment so I just walked the boardwalk tour. It was a great experience!

Cold

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Don't get tricked by the sunshine and the palmetto trees. It can be really cold in South Carolina! Unfortunately I'm finding this out the hard way. Two nights ago I was freezing in my motel room (who needs warm blankets anyway). This morning the ground was covered with frost! What do we learn from that? When you travel to South Carolina in February bring warm clothes!

Ninety Six

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:58:00 +0000

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Ninety Six is another small town and about 30 miles away from Newberry. Due to heavy advertisement for the Ninety Six National Historic Site I was lured there. The town propably got it's name by English traders who believed that it was 96 miles away from the Cherokee village Keowee (near tpresent-day Clemson). Ninety Six was also the site of the first land battle south of New England fought during the Revolutionary War.

The National Historic Site (established in 1976) is a beautiful place to explore with the whole family. And you can bring your dog, too.

Visiting a beautiful small town

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:30:00 +0000

Unfortunately my stay in Greenville wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. When I got into the car to check out the downtown area the air pressure indicator was flashing. Due to a temperature drop there wasn't enough air in my tires. I tried two gas stations but neither one had an air-pressure machine. Thanks to Charles I found out that one can buy a tire gauge at some gas stations and check the pressure. I stopped at a third gas station in Simpsonville and finally found a tire gauge as well as a machine to inflate air. After this adventure I decided to head off to Newberry.

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Newberry is a neat small town. It is located in Newberry County, 43 miles west-northwest of Columbia. About 10,000 people call it their home. A lot of them have German heritage. Newberry is listed as one of the 100 most beautiful small towns of the United States.

When you get to Newberry make sure to drop by at the visitor center in the old court house. You'll get a lot of brochures on attractions of the area and also two thin booklets for a self guided tour. You should definitely check out the Newberry Opera House and also visit the Japanese Garden.

Sights of South Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:25:00 +0000

It was time to leave Florence and my incredible host family yesterday. I decided to head towards Greenville in the western part of the state and take in some attractions along the way.

My first stop was at Lee State Park, a natural conservation area near Bishopville. This park features a bordwalk that takes you into the floodplain forest. I'd love to get back there when it's a little warmer, sit on the boardwalk and enjoy the wildlife there.

The road then took me through Bishopville with a neat old fashioned main street back to the interstate.
My next stop was Camden. It's the oldest inland city of South Carolina. I visited the Battle of Camden site where the British defeated the American troops on August 16th 1780 during the Revolutionary War. Visitors can either sign up for a tour or hike the grounds by themselves.

My last detour was Clinton, another old town that was incorporated in 1852. It has a beautiful old town square one should check out while passing by or staying in the area.

Connecting

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:08:00 +0000

Today was a busy work day. Charles had organized a few meetings. The general purpose of all these meetings was to establish more connections between organizations and individuals from South Carolina and Rhineland Palatinate.

The first one was at the Pee Dee Education Center. We would love to see some exchange between schools in South Carolina and Rhineland Palatinate. In times of broadband internet and real time communication young minds will benefit a lot from communicating and interacting with peers from a sister state.
For lunch I had the honor to meet the president of the Francis Marion University as well as well as five other members of the senior staff. Afterwards I received a tour of the McNair Center. This center is the place where the South Carolina branch of Transatlantic Partners is housed.
The final meeting was with a representative of the city council of Florence. One of our goals for the next few months is to initiate a partnership between communities of South Carolina and Rhineland Palatinate. Florence is a perfect sister city match and the city representative share our opinion that a bridge towards a city in Rhineland Palatinate should be built.

Meet The Team

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:18:00 +0000

Last night I had the pleasure of finally meeting the SC Transatlantic Partners team. The team is based at the Francis Marion University and consists of six students (plus Charles as the head of the team). They come from a broad variety of degree programs (nursing, early childhood education and visual communication) and seem to be highly motivated. I'm looking forward to collaborate with this team and I would love to see them visit Rhineland Palatinate sometime in the future.

Campus Life

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:22:00 +0000

Today I was able to experience a few hours of regular college life at the Francis Marion University in Florence, SC.

The FMU is a young college. It was founded in 1970 and is located at the site of a former plantation. The university was named after Francis Marion (1732-1795) a hero of the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). If you know Roland Emmerich's movie The Patriot (2000) starring Mel Gibson you get the basic idea who he (in the movie the character is named Benjamin Martin) was.

It is impressive how vast FMU's campus is. Due to lots of green areas with trees one doesn't get the size until he/she takes a tour or looks at a map. Coming from a university that is overcrowded and scattered all over town this setting is a student's dream come true.

I was especially impressed by the MacLab (as in 'a room full of Apple Macs'), the indoor pool and the Cottage (where you can taste the best sweet tea).

Church

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:20:00 +0000

The southeastern part of the United Stated is also known as the Bible Belt. People down here are said to be more religious and go to church more often. Unlike in Germany there isn't just a catholic and a protestant church. The Americans know catholic and about two dozen protestant denominations. For most people a typical Sunday starts with attending service at a church of their choice. In addition churches offer bible studies, child daycare and a lot of other activities.

Charles and his family invited me to join them for church this morning. Since I have never been to church in the US but heard that it is different than in Germany I was eager to come along.

We attended service at New Spring Church's Florence campus. New Spring is a comparatively new church for younger people. The sermons are held in Anderson, SC and broadcasted to the other campuses in Florence, Greenville and Columbia as well as via web stream around the world. Pastor Perry Noble is the founder of this unique church. He has a modern and almost pop-culturesque approach of preaching (he read a passage from the scripture about "Ehud, the left handed dude").

I was amazed by this service and I liked it a lot. I will definitely follow the sermons via the internet when I get back to Germany.

American Barbecue

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:32:00 +0000

Ask someone - anyone to tell you three things he/she associates with the United States. One of these things will either be burgers or McDonalds. Last night we celebrated the American tradition of preparing food over a flame aka barbecue. I have no clue why but burgers in the US are special. They taste better than burgers anywhere else - even if it's just the ones out of a box. I can't get enough of them and always love a fresh one off the grill.

Update: As explained here the title "American Barbecue" is misleading. What we did was prepare/broil burgers on a grill. They were super delicious but it wasn't (American) barbecue. But I'm looking forward to a real American barbecue sometime in the future!

Homecoming

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:06:00 +0000

Probably the best time to visit a university campus is during homecoming weekend. I got lucky because I arrived on Florence Francis Marion University's homecoming weekend.

Homecoming is a school tradition in the US. During this event former students pay their school a visit. In addition future students come to tour the school. There are a lot of events and festivities spread out over the weekend. The sports teams take on opponents they will probably beat, there are lunches and receptions and a homecoming king and queen will be elected, too.

My host Charles gave me a tour of the campus and then took me to several sports events. We started out with baseball. Even though I know the rules and have seen a few games on TV this was my first live game ever. It was a great experience to sit on the bleachers, enjoy the warm South Carolina sunshine and watching the Francis Marion Patriots beat the West Chester University's Golden Rams. Next up was a sneak peek at women's basketball. I actually felt sorry for the opposing team, the Augusta State Jaguars who lost 89:47.

The last game of the day was men's basketball. Unfortunately the Patriots trailed all through the game. It got exciting towards the halftime but in the second half the Jaguars beat the Patriots up pretty bad. After two unopposed dunks it was evident that Francis Marion wasn't going to come back.

I think most of the time college sports is more interesting than professional sports. It seems that the games are more intense, the players always highly motivated and the fans a little crazier than elsewhere. So if you should get the chance to watch college sports go ahead and to it!

Off to South Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:26:00 +0000

When my alarm clock rang at 5am CET I was already wide awake. After getting dressed and re-checking the content of my bags it was time to get to the Frankfurt airport. Since my last trip abroad the security check has been tuned up a few notches. I was patted down thoroughly (even the waistband of my underwear was checked), had to unpack every item of my carry on bag and my laptop and my cell phone were swabbed for traces of explosives. Then I had to wait for another 90 minutes, pass the gate-keeper and finally board the plane.

Ten hours later I arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson international airport in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Local time 1:30pm. The process of clearing customs, claiming baggage, checking baggage, passing the security check and re-claiming baggage took the usual two hours. As far as I know Atlanta is the biggest airport of the world. Since my last arrival there it even got bigger. Therefore I had some trouble finding the rental car agencies (they have an own building now) and get the car I ordered in advance.

Part two of my journey was driving from Atlanta to Florence, South Carolina - another five hour trip. Driving a car in the US is less stressful than in Germany. For once every rental has cruise control so you don't have to keep your foot on the pedal (once you've figured out how to set the speed). In addition people over here drive less aggressive and more relaxed. Still there are a few things you have to get used to. The traffic lights hang at the other end of an intersection, one may overtake another vehicle not only on the left but also on the right and there's no law to always drive in the lane furthest to the right. Also the highways and interstates are named in a system (number and direction) to always give you the basic idea of where you are heading. Odd numbers go from north to south and even numbers from east to west. So basically all I had to do to get from Atlanta to Florence was drive onto I-285 East, merge to I-20 East after 17 miles and get off at the Florence ramp after 293 miles.

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When I came to the US for the first time I was prepared to see bigger cars, broader roads and towns that are not as crammed as the ones in Europe. Still I wasn't prepared for the vastness of the land and that even the clouds in the sky seem to be extra big. Driving through this scenery makes you feel small but at the same time free. Plus a long drive with music you can sing along to on the car stereo is hard to beat anyway.

I think it's an unwritten law that on trips like this one there always has to go something wrong. Even though I had a printout of turn-by-turn directions from Google maps I wasn't able to find my destination for quite some time. I bet at least one person placed a call to the police reporting a suspicious car cruising by their house for the eighth time. At least I've already seen a lot of Florence and memorized a lot of street names by now.