Americanisms!

We've had a couple of holidays - one a month long - meandering around the national parks from the Grand Canyon, through the Navaho lands, Monument Valley. Arches, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Bryce etc. Fantastic! Amazing! It's an incredible country. Incredibly welcoming people too - although many didn't appreciate how wonderful a country they live in.

As to the differences between our countries, the main ones we noticed were negotiating cross roads - no roundabouts, breakfasting on coffee and doughnuts in small hotel receptions, people really wearing cowboy hats and high heeled boots and chatting about rodeos - and in the same town the main road was so wide when you crossed at a junction you picked up a flag one side, held it aloft as you crossed and the cars stopped for you.

riverwalk sorry but I've only just got back on this thread! No, we didn't, missed that one (Hearst Castle), but I have heard all about it. It was a wonderful trip though. As we drove along there were whales that were going in the opposite direction on their migratory route from south to north and we would stop on the side of the road and watch their spouts. Loved it. I LURVE America .

What time of year did you go for whales?

We started our trip on the 2nd Sep, I remember that because it is our wedding anniversary. I loved seeing the whales or even just knowing they were there. We saw them every day.

NFK there is a coastal town in South Africa, called Hermanus where the whales come right in, you can see them in the bay from the promenade. They sometimes appear to look straight at you, they are so close inshore.

Going there sometime this year, when we return to SA! I hope.

lucky you ariadne

Here you go, I see they call it 'land based whale watching' ifoundafrica.com/inspiration/

We had three days in Cape Town last November. Apparently there were plenty of whales around the week before we went. And probably the week after!

Always so disappointing. We've had that too: we went up Snowdon in the thickest mist ever (our only day there) couldn't see a thing, and out to - can't remember which island now from North Berwick - to see the puffins and they had left 'as one' a couple of hours prior. We saw a few on the wing.

hi