Cowboys and Cacti

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get round to writing this blog but the moment has arrived where I will reveal all: my week in Texas and what a week it was! After quick goodbyes to Mummy on the Monday morning of Spring Break, her final day in New York, Emily and I trundled into a taxi on our way to La Guardia Airport, Texas bound. By midday we touched down in the tiny airport of Killeen, Texas, amidst helicopters and military personnel as we were to be staying in Fort Hood, (the largest military base in the world!) with an old family friend, Jane and her lovely, old dog, Meg.

Heart shaped Cactus - They really are everywhere!

Flying low over Texas and peering through the tiny aeroplane window, Emily and I were instantly struck with how flat the landscape was in comparison to the mountainous and hilly terrain that is Connecticut. Well, that's what we thought until we later learnt that we were to be travelling through the part of Texas known as 'Hill Country'! Just the beginning of a few Texas surprises. There were hills, baby ones, spread out between the vast landscape that is Texas. It is massive. Absolutely huge. So big that I think you can fit the thirteen smallest states into it - and there would probably still be room for a few European countries!

Texas is unlike any State I've ever been to before and I've now been lucky enough to experience a fair few. The Texas Lone Star adorns absolutely everything, as does the noticeable outline of the Texas state itself. Next to the few American flags flying in the wind a Texan flag will be right there beside it, in fact I saw countless more Lone Star flags than I did Star Spangled banners! And if that isn't enough to draw attention to where you are the numerous cowboy boots, trucks, Bar-B-Q restaurants and the thick drawling accents will!

Not only was the landscape and scenery different but the general atmosphere of the place was. After our numerous cultural adventures (which you will hear all about soon) we can to the conclusion that this is probably largely due to Texas' own individual history which Emily has done a fabulous job of summing up in her blog - so read it here. But basically to sum up her summing up Texas was Spanish, which was then Mexican, then they fought for and won their own independence and were a republic for nearly a decade before joining the good ol' US of A - the 28th State. So those were general impressions of the Lone Star State, stay tuned for what we got up to...

Texas Blue Bonnets, the state flower.
They were just coming out to bloom while we were there.