Charlottesville, VA

As you can imagine my trip to Charlottesville has been a lot different from my Washington visit. My train journey from Washington to Charlottesville was pleasant and on time and I was met at Charlottesville station by my cousin-in-law and her son, a very cute one year old. A quick drive to the hospital and we met up with my cousin whom I hadn’t seen in over 2 years. We squeezed in a quick coffee break then it was back to work for my cousin and on to the apartment for me and his wife and son.

On the way to my cousin;s apartment I was able to see some of Charlottesville and it looks like a fabulous place to raise a family, I can see why they’ve settled here. I spent Thursday with my cousin-in-law and her son. We went to the local mall and visited some well known American stores as well as some local ones which provided me with some excellent Christmas presents. Friday was a quieter day spent organising the rest of my trip, buses and flights were booked along with the rest of my hostels. All I need to do now is figure out how I will amuse myself once I reach my various destinations!

Unfortunately I manage to visit on one of the few weekends that my cousin-in-law had to work so it was up to my cousin and his son to provide the entertainment over the weekend, and boy did they keep me on my toes. On the Saturday we visited Sam’s Club (which as far as I can tell is the USA version of Costco) and toys r us to pick up some treats for the little one, though I suspect the ‘grown-ups’ were more amused than him most of the time! In the afternoon we visited my first ever vineyard and I had my first experience wine tasting, my advice to anyone trying this is don’t go on a weekend. The Veritas vineyard was really busy and though we got a seat fairly quickly the actual tasting took some time due to the volume of people in the tasting room. Still is was fun to watch the little one keep his daddy on his toes while we waited and the wine was rather tasty; so tasty in fact I bought a couple of bottles to take back to my cousins apartment. Once home it was time for my cousin to feed and bath his little one whilst I slaved over the remote control. Then when my cousin-in-law arrived home it was time for a relaxing meal and evening in front of the tv, bliss after a rather hectic day.

The next day we headed for  Blue Mountain Brewery and I thought I would be adventurous and try a tasting here too. I have never been a beer or larger fan so imagine my surprise when I discovered a fondness for their Dark Hollow stout! I’m not sure I could drink a whole pint but it was a pleasant surprise, possibly helped along by the fact the stout is aged in bourbon barrels. I was also introduced to Pulled Pork, a southern speciality apparently and a rather tasty one it turns out. After the brewery it was off to another vineyard. The King’s Family vineyard was smaller and much quieter than the Veritas vineyard, possibly as we arrived earlier in the day this time. We were attended to at the bar and each wine was carefully described to us before the tasting. It was a calmer and more relaxed atmosphere and once more I was tempted to purchase a bottle for later as I have to confess a preference for their Cabernet Franc. Post wine tasting it was back into town for a quick visit to the heart of the University of Virginia, the Rotunda and Lawn. This area was designed by Thomas Jefferson himself and there is great prestige attached to the student dormitories and professors houses surrounding the lawn which are still in use today. In the evening I was introduced to a couple of my cousins friends and American Football. I think I got the general idea but there are so many rules that even the Americans have trouble keeping up sometimes so I don’t feel so bad that I’m still a little confused about it. A bottle of Veritas wine accompanied the football and then it was time for a full Sunday roast dinner, a real treat I wasn’t expecting on my travels in through the States.

My last day was fairly quiet as I had to sort out my belongings and prepare myself for my upcoming bus journey and the next part of my mini tour. I did manage to fit in lunch with my cousin-in-law and her friend at the downtown mall. In the Charlottesville downtown mall there aren't any chain stores so all the restaurants and shops are independents which makes for a much more interesting mix than your usual mall. After our brief shopping trip it was back to the apartment to get some food and collect my belonging before heading to the bus station. And so ended my brief insight in to life living and working in America. As I said at the start a different type of adventure but just as exciting and fun in its own way as the first one. I’m not sure what Nashville will bring but I for one cannot wait to find out.