Gazing across the Field of Lost ShoesWe had a wonderful weekend. It was so wonderful that I had to blog about it. It began early Saturday when we made our way to the city of Charlottesville, VA primarily to wander around its very lively pedestrian plaza downtown. The weather was nice, although a bit on the hot side, but overall the atmosphere was very enjoyable. We examined what downtown had to offer, which consisted primarily of restaurants, art galleries, quaint little shops and several movie theaters.

After some walking and window-shopping, we had a great lunch at the Hardware Store, an extremely unique restaurant built inside what was once just that and now is filled with its memorabilia. Right after lunch we walked down to the Regal movie theater and watched the Land of the Dead, which I thought was too disgusting for such a nice day, as it is a movie about the dead rising up and eating the living; not really my cup of tea.

After the flick, we wandered around looking for any sign that the city is indeed the home of Dave Matthews. We visited Miller’s Bar, where Dave worked as a bartender some time ago. It was nothing spectacular but was something related to this great artist. Before leaving, we had a drink at an outdoor Italian café and watched the patrons of downtown enjoy their time as the area began to fill up for the evening.Onlookers

Around five o’clock, we made our way back over the mountain to downtown Harrisonburg to watch the Great American Race, where antique cars race across the USA, from Washington DC to Washington state.

Under the hoodDowntown Harrisonburg was buzzing with excitement. While many people were cheering the incoming flow of antique autos, others were admiring and taking pictures of those already arrived and parked. Some were just enjoying the live music and good food. It was exhilarating! We really got to see a plethora of cars — none made later than the 1960s — in every shape and color. It really was a memorable scene.Grillwork

Sunday had an historic flavor as well, as we, along with Dad and Mom T, made our way to the town of New Market, VA to visit the civil war museum there. The visit was very informative for me personally, as my prior knowledge of the American Civil War was pretty limited.

When we got there, we wandered around the field where a famous Civil War battle took place, wandering around the famous Field of Lost Shoes, and took a look inside the house where soldiers were tended during and after the battle. We also watched a documentary about the battle and looked at Civil War artifacts displayed in the museum. It was very educational and an extremely enjoyable manner to get acquainted with an event that shaped American history.

All in all, our weekend was a fine and memorable one. Virginia has a lot to offer and I’m very grateful to have this fantastic chance to explore these fascinating locales.