The United States was an unexpected surprise for both. Despite being partly familiar to us through films and cultural references, the American way of life surely made an impression.
It is a country of vast proportions in every way. Travelling south from New York to Miami we encountered different climatic zones and upon reaching the tropical south we were so out of our depth in terms of the fauna and flora around us. Different plants, fruits, lots of rain, heat and humidity. Coming from a European way of thinking, distances are considered differently there. A 2-hour drive could be just a night out and driving a long distance only to get your groceries is part of everyday life. You need a car to do most things and go most places.
And speaking of cars, monster vehicles (again through European eyes) abound. Big SUVs and pick-up trucks, especially outside big urban centres, are the norm. And even the roads are very wide in order to accommodate for the monsters.
As for hitchhiking, American drivers were familiar with the concept (some of them were hitchhikers themselves many years ago) and we were never really stranded in a place for a long time waiting for somebody to pick us up. Even the ones that couldn't give us a lift wanted to help us in any way they could. From free hot showers at truck stops from friendly truckers to pocket money by complete strangers telling us "get yourselves a warm meal". Most of the times, we didn't encounter any suspicious or questionable behaviour on our drivers' part but actually shared touching stories and genuine laughs. We never felt threatened in any way. Sure, some of our drivers were more "unique" than others but always with the same amount of kindness.
Of course not everything was roses. It was hard to avoid fast food chains as part of our everyday diet and healthy food was the one that cost the most. As Europeans we were not used to seeing guns in everyday life and we are glad that we didn't have to experience any close encounters with one.
We met all sorts of different people like truckers or drivers that gave us a ride or people that just became our friends or people from Greek communities or just people we randomly met. They all were very helpful, supportive and welcoming, sharing not only their stories but also their homes with us. And those are the people that made our travel possible.
Our deepest gratitude goes to everybody that crossed our path and helped us enjoy our stay in the USA. Because a travelling experience is only as great as the people you meet along the way.
It is a country of vast proportions in every way. Travelling south from New York to Miami we encountered different climatic zones and upon reaching the tropical south we were so out of our depth in terms of the fauna and flora around us. Different plants, fruits, lots of rain, heat and humidity. Coming from a European way of thinking, distances are considered differently there. A 2-hour drive could be just a night out and driving a long distance only to get your groceries is part of everyday life. You need a car to do most things and go most places.
And speaking of cars, monster vehicles (again through European eyes) abound. Big SUVs and pick-up trucks, especially outside big urban centres, are the norm. And even the roads are very wide in order to accommodate for the monsters.
As for hitchhiking, American drivers were familiar with the concept (some of them were hitchhikers themselves many years ago) and we were never really stranded in a place for a long time waiting for somebody to pick us up. Even the ones that couldn't give us a lift wanted to help us in any way they could. From free hot showers at truck stops from friendly truckers to pocket money by complete strangers telling us "get yourselves a warm meal". Most of the times, we didn't encounter any suspicious or questionable behaviour on our drivers' part but actually shared touching stories and genuine laughs. We never felt threatened in any way. Sure, some of our drivers were more "unique" than others but always with the same amount of kindness.
Of course not everything was roses. It was hard to avoid fast food chains as part of our everyday diet and healthy food was the one that cost the most. As Europeans we were not used to seeing guns in everyday life and we are glad that we didn't have to experience any close encounters with one.
We met all sorts of different people like truckers or drivers that gave us a ride or people that just became our friends or people from Greek communities or just people we randomly met. They all were very helpful, supportive and welcoming, sharing not only their stories but also their homes with us. And those are the people that made our travel possible.
Our deepest gratitude goes to everybody that crossed our path and helped us enjoy our stay in the USA. Because a travelling experience is only as great as the people you meet along the way.
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