VA2013: day two

I miss having a 7/Eleven around.



Our first stop was Monticello! Thomas Jefferson built this home back in 1772 at the age of 26, after inheiriting this land from his Father.

We got there by 10am, because we saw online that there were archeology visits each day between 10:30-12:30. Unfortunately, due to the rain, the walk was cancelled. I don't blame them; there was so much rain, that due to us walking on rocks and on mud, somebody would have fallen.

Our house visit was originally scheduled at 1:30, but since the archeology walk was canceled, we asked if we could get our visit pushed up. Thankfully, they had spots open at 11:45. We only had to wait a little over an hour before our walk!

After watching a fifteen minute video about the property and browsing through the gift shop, where I got my parents postcards, we took the bus ride up to Monticello! Unfortunately, we couldn't take any pictures of the inside of the house. (Other museums lent the property artifacts and belongings.) It's a very beautiful property, and the designing of the interior was very well-done. It's always nice to go into older houses, because the rooms are much smaller than they are nowadays. (At least in America. Overseas, houses are still small in a lot of places.)

Side-view of the house.

View from the gardens.

Mountain fog.

Definitely one of the better pictures I took on this trip.

Because we were hungry, and Rachel wanted to take me to a cupcake shop, before heading to our next destination...we got cupcakes! (And the only reason that picture is good is because I forgot my phone and used my tablet for picture-taking.) She got a vanilla cupcake, and I got a chocolate one. It was deliciously good, and with just enough frosting. Not too much, not too little.

Squirrel!

After cupcakes, we headed over to Maymont Park. When we parked, we saw this squirrel...well, having a good time! He jumped into the trash can and grabbed a french fry for himself. Of course we took pictures, squirrel's are too cute.

View from the gardens.

Walkway.

Fountain.

The mansion was closed, and while we were walking over the animal area, it began to rain once more. So, because we were still hungry after only eating a cupcake, we went to someplace I haven't been to in 14 years, somewhere I haven't been to since I lived in Boston...

To say I was excited was perhaps an understatement.

Yes, Friendly's. Honestly, the only thing I remember about this place was the ice cream cones with the faces on them. (Usually they were clowns.) Of course I didn't get ice cream while I was here - the travesty! - but I got an appetizer sampler with cheese waffle fries, boneless hot wings, and cheese sticks.



And that was it for day two! Tomorrow I shall be posting the events from Day Three. See you then!