Im back.....

 Well Im back from my travels, this time to the South of the USA to enjoy the Americana in Nashville and then down to New Orleans. I wont bore readers with tales of Nashville and contemporary music, but God it was a hard week in very high temperatures but wonderful music. What a place, but you need stamina and the ability to handle the drink... I managed somehow.

 New Orleans was meant to be a more restful break but somehow was the opposite,not helped by overly high temperatures of 105f! every day. Anyway I loved the place. I am fascinated by the deep south and enjoy just chatting to locals in the bars and eateries, they remind me of my childhood in that they are polite, funny and ready to chat all day, and of course drink. The city is a great mix of new and for America, the old. I was intrigued by the Plantations and their history, the bayous and the Cajun folk. The city suffered during the Union occupation and was harshly treated by Nathaniel Banks and his men. Still there is always two sides to a story. 

 New Orleans after their terrible troubles is slowly being re built. One place they are pushing is their wonderful WW2 museum. The place is immense and is already undergoing a further 300 million dollar expansion. Yes the museum is US biased but why not. It is really well presented and very interactive. One starts the visit in a vintage rail carriage used to transport the new recruits to their training camps and leads from their to separate exhibits that contain recorded and filmed anecdotes from their soldiers, sailors and airmen and also the people left at home including the workers etc. This was a terrific way to convey the feelings of the people. They didnt gloss over any politically difficult facts such as the pro German movement of the USA which could have forced an isolationist policy but for Pearl Harbour. It also covered the invasion of China and the US involvement prior to 1941.

 There was a detailed section on the treatment of the Japanese citizens and internment and also the treatment of the Black soldiers who were drafted. I was very impressed by the attempt to report the truth and bugger any 'safe' sensibilities.

 I tool loads of images but most were pretty naff. The D Day section was fascinating and the eye witness accounts very poignant.

 The war in the pacific was especially interesting with detailed accounts of the main battles including Midway which was really well covered with accounts from sailors from both sides of the battle.

 Yes an enigma box, with an explanation how Polish soldiers were able to help with the decoding of the system. The Poles apparently had broken part of the codes prior to the collapse of their country and were able to accelerate the decoding.

 So Im back, struggling with jet lag and a heavy cold? But ready to pick up the brushes and crack on.