U.S.A. - The East, Midwest and South [antikvár]

THE LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY IN THE LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY No one can resist the fascination America exudes. For centuries, this country has attracted immigrants from around the world. Nowadays those flocking in from Europe are generally tourists eager to explore the land of unlimited travel opportunities: to experience the na-trual expanses of the American wilderness; to wander down the canyons of New York's streets or through dreamy villages in New England all aglow with the variegated colors of Indian summer; to stand in awe at the Great Lakes and waterfalls in the north, or dream of the past in the sweltering climate of the Old South; or simply relax in the sand and surf of Florida's beaches. America is a huge country, immeasurably large and full of contrasts, and yet, in a strange way, very easy to grasp. Off to the Promised Land? So it's home again, and home again, America for me! / My heart is turning home again, and I long to be/In the land of youth and freedom beyond the ocean bars, / Where the air is full of sunshine, and the flag is full of stars. These were the words of American poet Henry van Dyke (1852-1933), written at a time when people were fleeing the Old Worid to find political freedom, social improvement and equal opportunities in the new one. The American Dream was and still is that modern, secu- Preceding pages: Broad prairies characterize the American laridscape. Football. Left: This land is our land! lar promise of eternal happiness, regardless of race, provenance or religious belief For present-day immigrants from China and Mexico, for example, this hasn't changed a bit. This positive life philosophy is also in part what attracts tourists to America these days. There is something definitely happy-go-lucky about the country - a sharp contrast to the wallowing of the European mind. Nowhere else but in America can visitors enjoy such a relaxed and carefree vacation and leave all their troubles behind. No other country seems to offer such a wide range of natural sights and climates. The millions of hoHday-makers who stream into the country year after year understand America and its society a little better each time, or return in an even greater state of confusion. For the deeper you penetrate into the country, the more multifaceted, complicated and even incomprehensible America and the Americans seem to become. At the latest by the second visit, the slick façade of American society, on the surface as glittering as the Manhattan skyscrapers, will dissolve into its component parts. And suddenly your stereotyped image of the country, be it negative or positive, will begin to show fissures and even cracks. What we always thought of America was apparently not quite so The Land of Contrasts Perhaps no other country has been so much the victim of prejudices and cliches as the U.S. American culture has spread across the whole world: the American Way of Life, dutifully propagated by films, television and magazines, is as familiar to many foreigners as their own culture. For the past 40 years or so, western and central Europe have been culturally, politically and socially belabored by Big Brother America. It appears unbelievably close to us - for some, a good 13