We woke up in Charlottesville today. Had a great continental breakfast (although what is with not offering peanut butter! Is it so crazy to want peanut butter sandwich or on a bagel?) then we were off to Monticello.
We had a great time here. It was damp and drizzly when we arrived, but that didn't slow us down. And, soon enough it was sunny and gorgeous-not hot!
We had tickets for a "family friendly" tour which turned out to be great. Our guide had a bag of props for the kids to hold and, though she was a little steam of consciousness, she was an engaging story teller, and the kids got a lot out of our tour. After the house tour, we explored their kid discovery area. We were all disappointed that because of the rain they weren't offering the "write with a real quill/ink set" experience, but we had fun anyway. Then we offered the girls the choice, garden tour or slavery tour-both Maggie and Katherine chose slavery.
Here we had a guide who is a masterful storyteller and really emphasized the importance of family and how that played into the lives of Thomas Jefferson and his slaves. Of course, my sensitive Katherine was saddened by hearing about slavery, but it was a great perspective. At this point we all needed lunch, so we did a quick self guided tour of the gardens, and walked back to the visitors center by way of the cemetery and then left the grounds. I could certainly spend more time there in the future!
From there we went into downtown Charlottesville and found lunch along the pedestrian mall. Then it was off to Richmond! We found our hotel to be the most spacious so far: clean, fresh and fabulous!
Bridget and Mary Frances had suggested that maybe we could leave the girls with them, and Chris and I could enjoy a night out. I was hesitant to dump my kids on them, but, in the end, I dumped not only my kids, but a load of laundry as well!
W enjoyed a peaceful dinner along the river, and the girls had fun with the Aunts-eating pizza, making s'mores, and traumatizing the cats! All in all, a most wonderful day!
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