this morning, christmas day, we left memphis and drove all across the state of mississippi!! it was very grey out and later during the day we had quite some rain, unfortunately... but it was amazing. while we first drove on the highway, we later left it for the smaller roads, leading us trough small villages and with too many new impressions... im just really amazed about how many houses, small (or larger) shops and gas stations are left abandoned... some already half collapsed, burned down, or otherwise damaged. we saw a lot of trailer parks too, and many houses so small, in the middle of nowhere.... some well-maintained, others surrounded in mess and old rusty cars etc. some poshy houses too, but not too many.
above is the city of canton, where we briefly walked around. isnt it cute? and isnt it like in the movies? (it has been the decor for some movies, just check wikipedia... ) we also stopped in jackson, the state capital, but everything was deserted, on this christmas day.... even many fastfood restaurants were closed...
now i wish i knew more about this all! i wish i knew all the history, and facts. on wikipedia, i just saw for example that there are only 3 cities in mississippi with more than 50,000 residents, and 60% of all mississippi residents lives below the poverty level....
then we arrived in louisiana, and passed by the beautiful lake pontchartrain, eventually arriving in new orleans! you can defenitely feel that the air is different here, and although still chilly, its a bit warmer than memphis. we went to the french quarter for dinner. unfortunately it was dark already, but i think this area must be beautiful by daylight, we will see tomorrow... :)
5 comments:
When I am driving through the US I often feel like being in a movie. You see so much towns and landscapes you already have seen, but only on a screen. The abandoned houses are disturbing. Thing are really going bad I think.
When I was in New Orleans in 2008, there were hardly any houses rebuilt after the floods. We saw so many collapsed houses still standing there. At the lake I had expected to see a high dike, but nothing like that, the disaster can happen again any time.
That's some trip you are having, wow! Enjoy,enjoy, enjoy! And I really like the pictures you have shown us.
Canton is very cute. I've explored much of the western U.S. but not east of the Mississippi. I like reading your observations.
Enjoy the jazz and blues in New Orleans!
thanks! we certainly are enjoying it all and taking in as much as we can... :)
and bieb; its exactly as you said; ive seen many of it, but not in reality. thats just so amazing!
Post a Comment