Hundreds and thousands.

We have enjoyed catching the train across the United States - that way you get a sense of the scale of the country. I noticed last night though, as I stepped out of the Savannah airport terminal, that what you get flying is an immediate fragrance of a place. As I walked out at Savannah, I noticed a fruity, salty odour.

I also noticed, travelling down from Chicago to Savannah at midnight, that America is brightly lit.

This is Chicago. In the distance, Lake Michigan. But it's bright lights all the way down, with occasional little puddles. It's not like Australia where there is an ocean of black either way you look. I couldn't think of a more graphic illustration of the size of the country and its population. They remind me of the 'hundreds and thousands' we used to sprinkle on cake.