4th of July in Nashville

The 4^th of July is a very important American holiday. It's a huge spectacle with families having barbecues and lots of fireworks. I wanted to see the biggest fireworks possible and I also wanted to spend some time in the South of the country; so, I decided to go to Nashville where allegedly some of the most spectacular fireworks were to happen.

On my way down to Nashville I spent some time in Cincinnati. I had an enjoyable stay except for the morning when I got lost and ended up in a not very inviting part of town. As soon as I saw people openly handling guns and seemingly exchanging little packages while arguing with each other, I was glad when the bus I had been waiting for finally arrived. I saw my first major league football stadium in Cincinnati and was thoroughly impressed with how big they are. They are huge! While I have no interest in football at all, I think it would be a lot of fun to go to a game because the atmosphere must be very special and exciting, I am sure. I also visite the “American Sign Museum.” It is not as silly as it sounds, and I learned a lot about how signs evolve in America in the last 110 years or so.

When I finally arrived in Nashville, I quickly put my luggage away, and then started to explore the city. There was country music blasting everywhere, and me being somewhat of a country music fan felt right at home. Of course, I visited the Grand Ole Opry, a country music concert that is broadcast live on the radio. I was surprised that I knew several of the songs that they played. Before the huge fireworks on the 4^th, I went around exploring the Tennessee State Museum which was free and had a huge display of American history starting with the first European explorers and continuing all through American history until the 2^nd World War. I was very impressed with all the exhibits and some of the knowledge I had picked up during my SHP classes came back to me. There were a lot of other memorable experiences including talking visiting the grave of President Polk to several veterans who had started their own hotdog business to help homeless veterans by giving them half of all the revenue they made.

When it finally got dark, I was very excited for the fireworks. I was worried that the thunderstorm that suddenly started would cause officials to cancel the fireworks but that did not happen. Around 9:30pm the fireworks finally started and went on for a full 40 minutes accompanied by the Nashville Symphony. The grand finale was so intense that a lot of people in the audience covered their eyes because they were not able to look at all the flashes and lightening that made me feel like I had suddenly entered a war zone!