With my studies at an end, my parents flew out to Atlanta to join me on a tour of the State I have called home for the last 9 months. We are going to travel around as much of it as we could fit in to 3 weeks, including a brief foray into North Carolina.
 |
| Mum and Dad in Decatur |
 |
| Dad and I at the Decatur First chapel |
The tour began with 4 days in Atlanta. As my Mum and Dad only landed on Thursday afternoon (9th May), the Friday was a low key day visiting the local area where I live. We went to the Emory University Campus so they could see where I had studied, and we were all amazed by the amount of chairs set out for the Graduation ceremony which was to be held on the Monday. From Emory we went over to Decatur so they could see Decatur First United Methodist Church and the downtown area of Decatur. After a short rest in the afternoon we concluded the first day
with a trip to the Flying Biscuit restaurant for a real taste of the South - sweet tea and all!
 |
| Military leaders from both sides of the Atlanta Campaign |
 |
| Mum and Dad at the Jimmy Carter Center |
 |
| Dinner at Sally's |
On the Saturday we went down to Grant Park in south Atlanta to visit the Cyclorama. This is the world's largest oil painting and is housed in a circular building creating a 360 degree painting depicting the Battle of Atlanta, during the American Civil War. Not only is the painting on an immense scale but it also gives an idea of the immense scale of the battle, and the high loss of life from both sides that it caused. After a brief bit of lunch in Grant Park we headed to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. This was a place I had always intended visiting but had never got round to. However, I wish I had gone previously as there was too much to see in one visit. It was interesting to see quite how much Carter has achieved, particularly since he finished as President. It reminded me how fortunate I was to be able to go and listen to him speak earlier in the year. In the evening we headed out to have dinner with Sally, an employee at Decatur First UMC, and her family. It was a lovely evening, despite a heavy downpour putting paid to plans of eating outside, with great food (ribs, cream corn, fried okra; followed by peach cobbler and home-made ice cream) and great company.
 |
| Presentation of the cross-stitch |
 |
| Mother's Day Lunch |
Sunday was my last day at Decatur First UMC. After attending the early service I taught one final adult Sunday School before Mum and Dad joined me for the 11:00 am Traditional Service. This meant that they had to navigate the bus system of Atlanta - something they managed with no problems! At the service Dad presented a cross stitch done by members of Thatcham Methodist Church to the senior minister of Decatur First as a sign of the bond created between Thatcham and Decatur during my time here - a physical sign of Christian unity. It worked out nicely (and obviously completely planned by me!) that Sunday 12th May was Mother's Day in America, so I was able to take Mum and Dad out for lunch to a nice restaurant in downtown Decatur called Leon's. We ended the day with a walk around Mason Mill Park which is close to where I live.
 |
| Mum and Dad at the MLK Center |
 |
| Mural at the MLK Center |
The final day of this leg was Monday which began with a bit of time doing necessary domestic duties (washing and shopping!) before heading off to the Martin Luther King Center after lunch. As with every time I have been there this was a moving experience reminding us all of the cost of fighting prejudice and injustice, but also the necessity of doing so. In the evening we went to an Atlanta culinary institution known as Mary Mac's Tea Rooms for dinner with my flatmates. Then, after a piece of birthday cake to celebrate one of my flatmate's birthdays, it was time for bed in order to be ready to hit the road for the next part of the Grand Tour!
 |
| Dinner at Mary Mac's Tea Room |
No comments:
Post a Comment