My wife and I holidayed in the U.S.A. this time round where we visited, amongst other places, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. In those cities we viewed as many monuments to the American struggle for independence from the British Crown as possible, The Liberty Bell, an iconic symbol of American Independence, The Carpenter’s hall where the very first “Continental Congress” was held in 1774 to air grievances against British autocratic rule and at the Carpenter’s Hall I bought a copy of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” a more fitting place to purchase Common Sense I could not imagine.
It was then on to Washington D.C. where the symbolism of all the monuments was palpable, not least the Lincoln Memorial where the Gettysburg Address is engraved on the walls surrounding the stunning neoclassical monument. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the address, which lasted about two minutes, at the dedication of the Soldier’s National Cemetery in Gettysburg Pennsylvania four months after the victory by Union forces in the American Civil War in November 1863. In it he reaffirmed the principles of human equality that had been laid down in the Declaration of Independence.
Most of the visit ticked a lot of things off my bucket list. But there was an unexpected bonus, one which I had been hoping for, and which came my way when my wife and I entered an elevator in one of the hotels we stayed in whilst touring. Our suitcases are to say the least distinctive. We always choose our suitcases based on whether they will be more noticeable or not when coming round the track in the baggage area in airports.
Already in the elevator was an American woman who struck up a conversation by remarking how distinctive our suitcases were. Just as soon as she heard our accents she looked at my wife and asked, “Are you getting ready for the baby?”. When my wife looked slightly puzzled, (she’s slim, attractive but definitely not pregnant), the woman continued, “It would be good if she could hold off till Diana’s birthday wouldn’t it?”
At this point we both understood where she was coming from, so I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and told an American fan of British monarchy that I was sick to the back teeth of hearing about Kate, sick to death of hearing about the impending birth of a royal baby, and sick to death of the Windsors in general. The conversation lasted about as long as Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address I would imagine. An unexpected one off the bucket list.
At this point it was the American lady’s turn to finally grasp what was going on, and as we exited the elevator at our floor she said slowly, “Oh you’re not fans then?”. “Got it in one” I said. “Have a nice day!”
Bob Wiggin
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