SpringBreak 2015
WOW! I have a bunch of things to tell you guys about my Springbreak. It was so amazing and we had such a great time! But first things first.
Preparation
First, all vacations need planning. As a group of eight people, you can imagine that it has not always been easy to agree on everything.
We first thought about going to Chicago, and then to a friend’s lake house in Wisconsin. As going North meant that the weather would still be cold during this period, and may be even colder than in New Jersey, our American friend suggested that we go to Mobile, Alabama. We liked the idea, and decided to go even more South, in either the Gulf Shores or Pensacola. Our decision stopped on Gulf Shores, located in the Gulf of Mexico. We looked at house rentals and ended up agreeing on one situated close to Fort Morgan, at the tip of the island.
After putting many efforts to finally rent a house that everyone agreed on, we went through the car rental process. Hopefully, our American friend already has a car, so we had only one other to rent. Here, we debated about adding a second driver, which company to rent it from, and encountered obstacles such as the age limit for the second driver. In the end, we rented a Jeep Cherokee from Avis at a pretty affordable price and managed to have two drivers insured.
Knowing that we were going to enjoy some beach time really increased our excitement!
Photo 1: Our road trip itinerary; Photo 2: On the road
Day 1 – Friday 13th
3:15am the alarm clock went off. Everyone packed the car and by 4:00am, we were ready to go! Our sprinkbreak begins !!!
For around 4h30 we drove (some stops along the way) to Washington D.C. We all agreed to take advantage of this road trip to stop there, as 4 out of 8 of us had not been there yet. From the subway stop Friendship Heights, we took the direction of the Washington Monument, and stopped at Smithsonian. From there, we had the Capitol (in renovation, so we could not clearly see the top of it) on our right, and the Washington Monument on our left, toward which we headed. We walked by the National World War II Memorial and then went to Lincoln Memorial. Here again, there was no water facing the Lincoln Memorial due to reconstruction, which made the view a bit less appreciable. We also saw the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. The next step was the White House. It is impressive to realize that we are facing the most important building in the world, that hosts President Obama (and snipers, that we could see on the roof).
After this little visit, we went back to Friendship Heights and decided to eat at Chipotle, a Mexican grill known for its burritos and tacos but also for its fresh products. I can say that it was pretty good, although a bit spicy for me.
Around 1:00pm, we left Washington and hit the road again, heading to Cherryville, North Carolina. That is where our American friend’s grandparents live, and who agreed to let us stay there for the night. We arrived around 10:00pm and after some pizza and delicious home made meatballs, we organized our rooms: one for the guys, one for the girls.
Photo: Washington Monument; WWII Memorial; Vietnam Veterans Memorial; Lincoln Memorial; White House
Day 2 – Saturday 14th
Waking up at 4:00 am and getting ready to drive from 5:00 am to around 9:00 am to arrive in Atlanta, Georgia! All I knew about Atlanta was that it’s the city where Coca-Cola originated. The World of Coca Cola features the history of the world famous soft drink brand and its well-known advertising. We met a friend of our American colleague there, who guided us through Piedmont Park, the most iconic green space in Atlanta. We basically just walked around, stopped at play grounds and chilled. Not having enough time, that’s the only thing we have seen. Oh wait! I must not forget: VARSITY! Yeah, Atlanta is apparently well-known for Varsity, a fast food chain and the world’s largest drive-in restaurant. Yes, when it says “drive-in” it actually means that people can stop their car and eat their orders by their windows, on a tray. I mean… WHAT?! I think that this is the summum of all the American things I have ever seen! Anyway, the first thing we saw coming in the fast food was a huge crowd of people ordering their food. It was crazy! The positive thing was the school desks used as tables and chairs that was original; the negative thing was the taste of the meat.
Photo 1: Piedmont Park and Coca-Cola Advertising; Photo 2: Varsity
Around 2:00pm we headed back to the cars and continued our road trip, direction Gulf Shores! I think that we arrived around 10:00pm because we stopped first at Walmart to buy food and drinks. The first thing once at the house was to find the keys, and be sure they actually open the house! It worked (Hooray) and we went through the house, checked if everything was in good shape, if the lights worked, if the linens were there as said etc. After putting our stuffs in our respective rooms, some of us directly went to the beach and put the feet in the ocean. It was cold. But it felt so good!
Photo: Gulf Shores, view from the house
What have you guys done for Springbreak? Or do you have any cool memories from past springbreaks?
I hope you will enjoy this first post dedicated to our SpringBreak road trip 🙂
More is to come !
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