Departing our DC hotel on board our bus, we headed out, finally getting clear of the DC traffic about 30 miles out of the city! From then on it was a quiet & scenic drive all the way to the city of Charlottesville, home of 3 Presidents - Thomas Jefferson, James Madison & James Monroe!
The focus of the city today is the University of Virginia (UVA), founded by Thomas Jefferson himself in 1819. So our first visit was to take a tour of the 'Academic Village' at the heart of this historic campus - the only university campus in the United States listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The group split into 2 & the tours were led by current students, who focused not only on the history of the university but also some of its unique traditions, college life, etc.
After free time for lunch & shopping for UVA clothing etc, we drove to nearby Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home. Like the university, Monticello was designed by Jefferson himself, & the house if full of his inventions & belongings.
Departing from Monticello, we drove north towards Washington D.C, stopping en-route for dinner before arriving in the capital after dark but with time still to make 2 more visits today - to the World War II Memorial & the White House.
Finally, after another long day we arrived back at our hotel, tired but cheerful.
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