Charlotte, North Carolina to Emporia, Virginia

CHARLOTTE, our eldest daughter, brought me back down to earth with the remark “Dad, it’s a city with the same name as me. Big deal. I didn’t even choose my name.”

Didn’t stop me enjoying one of America’s fastest-growing cities and most-popular relocation destinations, though. Bank of America has moved here and a number of other major corporations have followed suit. There is building going on all over the place.

The visitor centre is a great example of how proud the people and the city are of their achievements and reputation.

I photographed every mention of the city’s name and put together a photo-montage with a photo of Charlotte (below). She hates it, of course, likening it to something a psychopathic stalker might do. Maybe she has a point.

The Virginia countryside is very attractive, and quite English in many ways, which is emphasised by the number of British place names. I was surprised to see smoking permitted in restaurants, until I thought about one of Virginia’s main crops – tobacco.

I saw the serving staff at our restaurant doing a crazy dance during dinner tonight and asked them to do it again for us at the table. Here's a little video treat captured on Bill's camera for you:

Charlotte to Emporia = 260 miles.