Life Across The Pond

Day 2

After a few first day glitches, day 2 has gone much better. Due to some interesting pricing schemes, I saved $250 by returning my rental car in Philadelphia and then re-renting. Luckily, they just re-rented me the same car saving me the hassle of unloading all my stuff and reloading it to a new car. On the downside, I'm still driving the same, not fun, Ford Taurus.

I also managed to switch the now useless cassette adapter for an FM Transmitter at the Apple Store in King of Prussia, PA. Why there's a city called "King of Prussia" beats me. I guess maybe you eventually run out of -ville or -burg names that haven't been taken. Who knows, maybe there's an Emperor of Japan, Wyoming or Dictator of Cuba, Kentucky out there.

So with my travel accessories in order, I covered about 265 miles yesterday, stopping at Gettysburg along the way. Walking around the Gettysburg National Cemetary and following the driving tour signs which take you around the various battle sites is quite a somber experience. Within the cemetary are rows and rows of unknown soldiers marked with small grave markers with just numbers engraved on the top. And while there's no doubt that these soldiers, known or unknown, died for their country in a war which ultimately ended slavery in America, I wonder how many of these soldiers actually fought and died for the cause and how many enlisted because it was a job that provided food, clothing, a paycheck, and benefits for their families and may or may not have known what the war was about in the first place.

posted by Peter @ 11:24 AM