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.
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.
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