U.S.A. (2013)

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In June 2013, we decided to go to the U.S.A. It was a dream we had for long years, and we finally made it come true. We returned home filled with emotion, the head full of images, and above it all shared between the blues of the end of the trip and that very cheerful certainty of having finally made it.
We started with Los Angeles and its surroundings, then San Diego, and then we made a long tour of some of the national parks in Arizona and Utah, and we reached the bustling with life Las Vegas. There, we took a flight to Chicago, where we spent the last days of that unforgettable trip.
For me, Dom, beyond a teenager's dream, it was in addition some kind of artistic pilgrimage. Indeed, the novel «Enjoy the ride» takes place in Chicago, at least for its American part. My third novel «The Twilight Hotel», completed twenty years ago, takes place among others in Flagstaff, Arizona and in the national parks in the surroundings. Finally, a small part of my fourth novel, «Swan song», completed eighteen years ago, takes place in the Southern California coast.
The first thing that makes a big impression on you when you arrive in the U.S.A. is hugeness: first of all, landscapes, and then cities, roads, vehicles... It seems that everything has been built in proportion to that country, where nature shaped sites with a breathtaking vastness through millenniums. The sensation we have is indescribable: we feel small, and especially, we take up again childhood emotions we thought we had lost forever. How many times did we return a few years after to places we used to find huge in the first bloom of our youth, and that suddenly seem tiny, bringing some disappointment? Well, ending up in that great wide open allows us to look again at the world with eyes filled with wonder, in an indescribable joy. Moreover, there is that sense of freedom, of infinity, which transports us beyond time. We have the feeling that everything is still to be made, to be invented, that history is still to be written. Then, happiness is new and refreshing.
Therefore, you will have to accept not to be able to see everything. Indeed, distances are sizeable and each trip takes more time than you expected, even when traffic is good. Considering hugeness, diversity and beauty of landscapes, you will be tempted to make many stops and to linger. However, you will have to make sacrifices, choosing some places to the detriment of some others, which will seem frustrating if you do not get used to that reality. But as soon as you understand it, there will be almost nothing left from that frustration and you will only remember enchantment. Thus, you will realize with happiness that country both fulfills you and makes you want to be back for more.
There, the road culture is genuine, a vibrant legacy of the Beat Generation. We think about Jack Kerouac and his aptly named novel «On the road». Even decades later, that road-movie spirit is still deep-rooted in minds. Often put forward in arts, notably literary and cinematographic works, it seems to be made to last. Naturally, the legendary Route 66 is the most significant symbol of it all. We had the luck to found ourselves at its point of departure (Chicago) and at its point of arrival (Santa Monica). We covered some of its sections in California and Arizona. We drove more than 2000 miles in all over 11 days, before giving back our rental Chevrolet Impala at the Las Vegas Airport and taking a flight to Chicago. It was our own road-movie. We had been dreaming about it for a long time, and we finally lived it.
We have also been touched by the sympathy of American people: often cool, welcoming, happy to meet new people, helpful, and very enthusiastic... sometimes excessively, but it is much nicer than blasé people, right?.. And what should we say about American girls? Fresh and twinkling, with a touch of ingenuousness, their charm is undeniable, and can quickly become irresistible for those who can speak a few words in our language with their adorable accent. It seems that American girls love Frenchies. Is it a legend or reality? In any case, we love you!
As far as catering is concerned, be aware that contrary to generally accepted ideas, it is possible to eat well in the U.S.A. You can even find organic products, particularly in California. Junk food is essentially due to the temptation of very nice prices offered by fast-food chains. However, there are many quality restaurants for slightly higher prices than in France, tip included. Besides, the latter must be between 15 and 20% of the tax-free amount of the bill, for the waiters and waitresses wages are low. They rely on customers’ generosity, so please play the game, the more as service is often very satisfying.
Of course, we have no idea of what is life in the U.S.A. But with regards to vacation, travel, the American dream exists. We first touched it with the tip of our fingers, then it caught us, and we let it carry us away.
The country where dreams come true? In any case, our dream came true.
We thought in every detail about the American movies and series we were brought up on, and those from nowadays, who carry on making us dream. And a sentence keeps running in our minds, exhilarates us, like a sweet obsession: «everything was real».
Thank you America, we love you.
We will come back.

Published on August 13th 2013

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