Summer in the States

Before getting to Baku, I wanted to give a quick rundown of the four months we spent in the U.S. en route from Russia to Azerbaijan.   Looking back through the pictures, it seems the common theme was trains, since that's what gets Aiden most excited, but there was a lot more to it than that. 

In addition to catching up with friends and family, one of my favorite parts was the food.  Eating all the things that we couldn't get in the U.S. was a delicious and highly caloric (as the tightness of my suits reminds me) adventure.  From korean chicken wings to Eastern Shore raw oysters to creole gumbo, it was great to  be reminded of the culinary delights that only home can provide. 

We spent most of the summer in Washington D.C., where I went through three months of training for my work as press officer, and a smidgen of Azerbaijani language training.   Having a three year old in tow was a great reminder of all the great (and free) things to do in the D.C. area.  From the Washington Zoo, to the Smithsonian Museums, and even a trip up to the B&O Railroad museum in Baltimore (not free, but worth it), we got to see a lot of really cool stuff. 

Aiden also made his first acquaintance with swimming pools and it was pretty much love at first splash. 

Before we knew it, training was over and we had just a few more weeks before leaving for Baku.  We spent 10 days of that time driving from Washington to the Alabama gulf coast to see my grandparents.  Despite being constantly on the move, we saw a lot of things we probably wouldn't see otherwise and had a good time doing it. 

On our way out of Virginia, we visited a safari park where the animals are free to approach your car and eat out of buckets you hold for them...

That included this creepy llama below, who scared the bejeezus out of us with his murderous stare.

We then made our way to Chattanooga in Tennessee, where we toured Rock City - a mish-mash of kitschy tourist trap and natural beauty that actually works well enough to make it worth the high entrance fee.

One of the most spectacular parts is actually underground, where they've constructed a huge diorama of fairytales all lit by blacklight.

We also made a stop at a railroad museum where Aiden got to ride a real train, complete with a trip through a Civil War-era tunnel!

In Chattanooga itself, we didn't find too much to do, although the views over the river were impressive.  That, and we discovered a moon pie outlet store because Chattanooga is where moon pies are made.  Who knew?

As we continued southward, we stopped in Birmingham, AL, where in addition to some great examples of  20th century industrial architecture and creole cooking, we explored some very poignant reminders of the sacrifices of the civil rights movement.

I also got to check something off my list, which was a visit to the Sloss Factory National Park - a national park set in the remains of a huge iron factory, that is really just amazing in terms of its scope.

Then we finally made it to Fairhope, AL, where Aiden got to spend a few days getting to know his Great Grandparents, which was fun for everyone.  We also got to see some of the sights in Fairhope, including this fairytale house, dolphin-watching in Mobile Bay, and a trip to the impressive Foley Railroad museum.

Before long, we were on our way north again, with a first stop in Montgomery, AL, where the blazing heat wasn't enough to keep us from sights like the first White House of the Confederacy, a lunch of fried chicken and fried green tomatoes, and a tour of a living history museum based on antebellum Montgomery.

That evening, we made our way to Atlanta, where we got to see the birth place of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  It was great for Stephanie and I, and hopefully in the future, we can explain the importance of these visits to Aiden.

We learned shortly before starting our trip that Aiden needed ear tubes to be inserted again, so we had to shorten our trip by a day and pick up the pace a little.  On our race back north, we stopped at a South Carolina historic plantation, that was one half pre-Revolutionary War and one half Pre-Civil War.  A good history lesson for Stephanie and I, and a great chance for Aiden to run around unfettered.

That evening, we made it to Charlotte, NC, which has some great public art, a compactness that puts a city skyline behind single family homes, and some great soul food!

Our final stop on the trip was Old Salem, NC, which is a town that dates back to some of the earliest settlements in the new world.  We had a delicious lunch at tavern where Gen. Washington once stayed.

And in a little feat of nostalgia, we made a pit stop at this retro Arby's in Virginia, which also happens to be a test kitchen for the chain, allowing us to try some new offerings.

With our last couple weeks, we visited our families one last time, including more trains for Aiden, wine tasting for Stephanie and I, and a great party with friends and family at my parent's house, which I don't have any pictures of because I was too busy talking to everyone (a better use of time in my book). 

And since New York will always be home, we spent a couple days in the Big Apple on our way out of the U.S., including a neat trip to Governor's Island, which was host to a tree house and mini-golf course free to the public.

We then took a ferry up the East River to Brooklyn, where I discovered a salted-caramel donut sunday topped with popcorn ice cream and caramel sauce.  Does it get any more foodie than that?

We rounded off our visit with a trip down to the Freedom Tower and a stroll along the High Line Park, with it's great views and quirky art exhibits.

And that's how a summer goes by between overseas assignments.  We made an overnight stop in Vienna, visiting the beautiful Schonbrunn palace gardens and staying in a nice hotel that upgraded us to a full suite when our reserved room wasn't ready.  It definitely made the trip a little nicer.

And then we were here, in Baku.  We're off to a good start, and I'll have an overview of our first weeks shortly.