Fredricksberg: Saturday 14th August 2010

The first thing that hit me when I stepped out of the air port in Washington was the humidity and today was no exception. It was a bright sunny day but a little humid; not uncomfortably so but enough to make it sticky. Here I met Tina for the first time and she is an angel... so much fun and likeable with a great sense of humour...xxx

Well, today Tina took me to Fredricksberg and surrounding district and I have never seen such a picturesque and beautiful town. Every house is splendid with old colonial charm, which adds to the character of this old Southern quarter.

The streets are lined with greenery and the people are very friendly but it is the history of the place that really impacts you from the Civil war sites themselves to the Old shops selling civil war paintings and sketches... everything in the town revolves around that period wher this nation was divided. Below is an auction block where slaves were perched and exhibited.... one can not help but be saddened by the tragedy of families being torn apart and each member was sold off to different owners... truly sad.

The bank's steps where Tina and I am standing are famous because both President Lincoln and General Lee stood to make an address... although not at the same time so even this bank is steeped in history.

We went to one of the old Civil War sites and watched as a group of volunteer soldiers from the Confederate Army, all dressed in authentic Confederate Uniform go about priming and then loading an old brass cannon then upon the signal fired it... There was not one person in the crowd who did not levetate when the thing went off!!!! It was not until you actually heard the deafening explosion from the cannon that you realise just how terrified those soldiers must have been to face a battery of cannons go off in succession.

We saw a church with two cannon shot still lodged in its fascade and I could not help but wonder how those people at the time praying within coped with the enslaught and the futility of it all until I saw the slave block on a corner and I was reminded just why the North and the South was so divided.

This is a famous battleground at Charlotsville where the eerie light of dusk adds to the sombre atmosphere of the place... a row of cannons look out over the fields where countless lives were lost and the fight for freedom shaped a nation.

Tomorrow is an early start for Williamsberg and more things to see...taking a lot of pictures and video so will have fun putting it all together when I get back.

I still miss my sweetheart Alan and my never-home Tim... and of course the angel cats so just as well I bought pictures with me to pine over!!! I rang Colleen today and it was wonderful to hear her voice...miss you babe and Buster...*Big Hugs*

Will write more tomorrow about this fascvinating part of the world so bye for now and thank you for visiting.