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Down south

October - November 2022
A 18-day adventure by Guille & Daniela Read more
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  • Down south
    Day 1

    Here we go again

    October 27, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Adventures have to start somewhere.
    Barajas is usually the place that takes me where I want to go.
    Haven't been to the States since Chicago in 2019, it's been a while.
    Now we're heading South.

    South, that place where here in Spain they say I'm from.. South for me means tango, Argentinian heat in a crazy December.
    South means Brazil and that strange year when I discovered Açai and Coixinhas.

    And if I want to be precise, maybe I am a Southerner, Cancún after all is in the south of Mexico.

    But today, we fly South. And if / when we land, I'll be back in the States, one of my favorite places in the world.

    I really needed this trip, hope it's a good one!    Read more

  • Down south
    Day 1

    Miami airport

    October 27, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    How many times have I been in this airport? God knows..
    I'm not bragging, I'm just thinking that this was the first international airport I set foot on, and not even that, I was maybe 2 or 3 the first time I came here with my Dad.
    Now that he's gone, these facts of my life have a special meaning, you know?
    I remember playing on those dirty blue rugs with my newly bought Ninja Turtles or knowing that Miami airport meant that I was days away from Orlando and Mickey Mouse.
    Time and life have been good to me and I've seen so many more airports, and I hope to get to know many more.
    But there's always a first time, and even though this time I'm not hanging out with Donald Duck or looking to buy another Donatello, I still wish you were here, Dad.    Read more

  • Down south
    Day 2

    Siempre Coca Cola

    October 28, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Atlanta is the house of Coca Cola. Yes, I know it's something tourists do, but guess what? I'm a tourist!
    Who doesn't have a great moment with a Coca Cola?
    If you're a Mexican kid from the mid 80s, you probably do.
    "Una Coca" is part of life in Mexico. You have one with your tacos (entire glass bottle), or tied in a knot in a plastic bag with a straw.
    You drink one after getting drunk between your 9th or 10th beer, because you think that will help before going to bed. You drink another one the day after, hoping it helps with the hangover.
    But yes, it's a tourist trap, but that mean you can't enjoy it.
    And you have to at least be a little intrigued about how the story of this drink started, after all, maybe more than half the planet has at least had one Coke in their lifetime. Even if it's that awful plum coke from China they had in the tasting room.    Read more

  • Down south
    Day 2

    I have a dream

    October 28, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Right across from the Coca Cola museum, seeing kids throw a football in the middle of a beautiful park, you'll see the Center for Civil and Human Rights. It looks small in comparison with the aquarium or the World of Coca Cola, but never judge a book by its cover.
    If I was to sum up that place in one word it would be: Damn...
    In my life I think I've had some contrasts. I grew up with money, then we lost it but never struggled. Then I headed to Spain where I became an illegal citizen before swearing to honor the king and suddenly I was Spanish.
    I'm Mexican living in a country of white Europeans that clearly know that I'm not from there. You get used to it but you never do.
    In this museum you could clearly see the contraste between being white and being black in the USA, a contrast we all think we "understand" but don't care to read more about it.
    The exhibit is set up in a way that all the strong content and words are easily digestible. It's a gut wrenching experience where you can put on some headphones and be insulted for 2 minutes so you can feel what it was like to silent protest. This happened less than 60 years ago!
    People suffered beatings and death just to make sure that everyone had equal justice, insane things like having a coffee anywhere, being able to get married outside your race.
    Uncanny, it really was.
    And yeah, the other day they invaded the Capitol and Spain isn't getting any better. But seeing what an entire nation was able to do kind of gave me hope.    Read more

  • Down south
    Day 3

    Round mound of rebound

    October 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We are on our way to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.
    We got up early and left the Atlanta Airbnb with the huge purple velvet pillows at 6 30 am.
    We hit the road, making great time when we realized that once you cross into the Alabama State line, time goes back an hour, so we had about 90 minutes to find something to do.
    You know... I said to Dani, there's a Charles Barkley statue I'm dying to see..
    You can't be serious she replied.
    We went to Auburn.
    Turns out it is a cute little university town and we got to see wild Tiger fans crowd the streets getting ready to see their college play against Arkansas (just checked and they lost 41-27).
    It's just like in the movies, we saw people playing Cornhole, 3 girls moving into some dorms, and a family with a BBQ getting ready for the big game.
    The university looked like a movie set with the beautiful autumn leaves matching the brick colored constructions.
    And right next to the stadium there he was, Sir Charles Barkley.
    I only got to see the last seasons of Barkley's career, when he was banged up and played for the Houston Rockets but I know he was amazing. He still is when he's on tv telling crazy stories and making fun of San Antonio women.
    I was so happy to see him and was more than ready to have some coffee while we took a break from all that driving.    Read more

  • Down south
    Day 3

    Coffee break

    October 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Went into town and stopped in this coffee shop called Uniq Coffee. Had an amazing cappuccino while sharing a blueberry muffin with Dani.
    After chilling for a bit we were ready to drive to Montgomery.

  • Down south
    Day 3

    The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to M

    October 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Ever since I saw that famous picture of the dirt jars I wanted to come to this place.
    Yesterday I felt like I was showered with a bucket of cold water after deep diving in the Civil Rights Movement and segregation. It was nothing compared to today.

    Today started in Africa, where the slaves were taken from their entire world and sold (if they survived a terrible boat journey) to the land of the free and the home of the brave.
    The first thing you see is the ocean, an angry ocean that makes you wonder if it was better to die at sea than to survive and experience everything I was about to read and find out about in this 4 hour visit that I'll remember forever.
    We all think we know about slavery, we "get it" but you have no clue, you just don't.
    So much loss, so much pain and so many things that haven't changed one bit.
    The pain is still there, the "white" feeling of I'm white and you aren't, I can't even begin to explain everything that you read about and experience in interactive videos.
    You see the jail cells, the shackles, the numbers, the stories, ads selling slaves, comments on each slave, and right in the middle is God without actually being there.

    Slaves built Broadway and Wallstreet, so the rich white men could later accept the Statue of Liberty, think about that for a sec.

    I feel everyone should live this experience and this should be a top 10 attraction of the United States. They should be proud and brag about this museum but ironically it's not as popular as it should be, again being overlooked by more important things, just like the blacks in America.

    After the Museum we went to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, where Dani and I basically spat to each other everything we felt and learned.

    It hit me personally because even though I have a Spanish passport that I got after being an illegal citizen for years, I know I'll never be seen as Spanish.

    Even though I speak and write English at a very high level, I have to convince Human Resources in every job interview I have that I can speak the language. Why? Because I'm Mexican, and Latin American humans are seen as mischievous sly foxes to the Spanish, always trying to do less. It's the truth. It's hard to prove your worth constantly, and most of all, it's unfair.

    Obviously I'm lucky and under any pretence am I trying to compare myself to any black person that has struggled or worse, died just trying to live and be happy just because they got in the way of ignorance.

    It just stings but places like these ones give you hope, ironically. Because at least it's here for all to see, and it's not being shut down or banned, it's there and it happened. And yes, the balance is still horribly tipped the wrong way but there's heroes calling it as it is and hopefully one day they'll be heard.    Read more

  • Down south
    Day 3

    Ribs, fried chicken and Montgomery

    October 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Ar the memorial I asked the guard at the metal detector for some food recommendations. When Dani is hungry you only have a few minutes before the bomb explodes.
    His first suggestion was an Italian restaurant: nope.
    Second suggestion? Mexican. Nope.
    I felt the need to interrupt.. how bout some local food?
    Oh, in that case, Southern Delight.
    Thank you, sir!
    I bet it's gonna be fried chicken, I told Dani and I wasn't wrong.
    In the middle of a parking lot mall this place stood like an oasis. The line was long but the vibe of this restaurant just made you smile.
    Like an old cafeteria you just moved along the line picking and choosing, first your main meal, then the 2 sides.
    Ribs, mashed potatoes with gravy and yams for me, fried chicken, mashed potatoes without gravy and yams for Dani.
    The plate was loaded and we didn't make it.
    We spent so much time in the Museum that we had to skip Birmingham but that didn't mean the Montgomery visit was over.
    We went to Hank Williams's grave to pay tribute to Luke, the creator of Cold, cold, heart. You could drive up to the grave and not leave your car, genius.
    Then I wanted to see the First Confederate White House, just to remind myself that crappy ideas with terrible leaders in charge can actually go a long way (job sequels).
    Montgomery is a city that has so many ghosts roaming around and open wounds in areas that used to be slave cells or slave auctions.
    But having some ribs while I heard everyone laughing and enjoying a nice meal rekindled the hope I felt earlier and reassured me once again that human beings are capable of loving, we just have to be careful and stay together.    Read more

  • Down south
    Day 4

    Hammerin' Hank

    October 30, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    I love baseball. Yes, the ballplayers look fat for the ignorant, but once you play and understand the game, it's hard not to fall in love. You're always using your brain, it's way more than physical prowess.
    My father used to tell me all about past players, and one he really liked was Hank Aaron, the breaker of Ruth's record, the all time home run leader before Barry Bonds stole it away from him.
    My Dad loved the Braves and we used to bet and watch their amazing pitchers like Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. He used to laugh when he saw Leo Mazzone rock his body the entire game.
    So, naturally I wanted to go to Turner Field, the home of the Atlanta Braves.
    But, since I don't follow baseball anymore, I didn't know that the Braves moved.
    Either way, old Turner Field was in the part of the city that hosted the 96 Olympics.
    So it was really cool to see the giant torch that I saw on tv almost 30 years ago.
    When I realized that the stadium wasn't the one I was looking for, I felt sad.
    But I did find this amazing graffiti of Hammerin Hank, I'll get to the stadium, Dad, I promise, and Dani as well so she's screwed now hahaha    Read more

  • Down south
    Day 4

    Athens

    October 30, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I hate seeing one city in a country or in case of the USA, in a state.
    Since we were gonna drive the entire day today, I figured might as well go to Athens.
    Why? It was close, and the University of Georgia, home of the bulldogs is there, so what more did I need to know before going?
    I found out that bulldog sculptures were scattered around town, so I promised Dani that after 3 bulldogs we'd go on our way.
    We found the first bulldog and I was immediately happy, bulldogs were my dad's favorite breed of dog, and loved them like life itself.
    While hunting for bulldogs we passed City Hall and some voters getting ready to vote.
    After a few steps we started noticing Mexican decorations, what is that? A fair? It was an event organized by the The Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition to help gather funds to help the immigrants that left everything for a better life.
    So, obviously there were Mexicans, selling food, you know where I'm getting at, right?
    Tacos.
    I had 2, asada and pastor, found 2 bulldogs and told Dani that I was getting 2 more. Delicious, and the salsa verde tasted just like home.
    No matter how far away you are, if you can manage to create the flavours of your land, you'll never feel alone.
    Great Smoky Mountains, here we come!    Read more

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