Slovenia, part II

We had a great day yesterday - and it wasn't just because I got to see the new Batman movie (which was amazing, by the way).

We hit the big Ljubljana sights - the Dragon Bridge, the castle, the riverfront. Rebecca figured out, by the way, that the novel The Historian references a city called Emona, which is actually Ljubljana. Just some trivia for you.

It was quite beautiful out, and it really is a charming city. The castle left a lot to be desired, especially when you have seen other castles around Europe - even in Slovenia. I did like the painted coats of arms (I'm assuming from Austo-Hungarian days) on the walls and ceiling of the St. George Chapel in the castle. And, the view was great.

We're going to head to Lake Bled for the day, and then back to Italy.

Dober dan

Hello from Ljubljana, Slovenia! I know, you're thinking: Where? Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia.

My friend, Rebecca, has been overseas for the past year or so working on her dissertation research. She needed to come here to present a paper at a conference that she is publishing, so I decided to come with her!

I picked her up from the airport in Venice yesterday, and we drove a couple hours to this city. So far, it's been cute. The weather was actually a little chilly yesterday, but we walked around part of the Old Town, and did a little shopping.

I bought Chris a traditional piece of artwork - a painted section of a beehive. Centuries ago, the Slovenes would paint them in brightly colored stories to attract the bees to the hives. I got a panel that shows St. George slaying a dragon - a popular story from the castle in this city.

Dragons are everywhere - much like Venice's lion. Chris' family actually immigrated to the States from Slovenia around the early 20th century (on his mom's side), so I thought this was a fitting piece of art for him. Plus it's a manly story, so I thought he wouldn't object.

Rebecca is at her conference right now, and then we are going to visit the castle. I'll take pictures and post them later.

Last night, we headed to the huge shopping complex, BTC City, for some Mexican food, and tonight we're headed back to see The Dark Knight in English with Slovenian subtitles! I'm so excited, I can't stand it!

Italia

I'm back at home. I arrived on Friday, and since I can't escape travel drama, my friends Trent and Heather who graciously picked me up despite illness had to sign me in to base so I could get a temporary military ID. Yep, I left mine at home in Virginia, naturally.

Everything went smoothly besides that. The trip went by quickly, I adjusted my sleep right away, and I didn't have to pick up too many dead bugs when I came into my house. Oh, and my flowers are all alive and beautiful! Perfect!

More later. My friend Rebecca and I are going to Slovenia this week, and I can't wait!

James River Plantations

There is a beautiful stretch of land along the James River in between Williamsburg and Richmond that hosts several original plantation homes. Mom and I decided to try to see a couple of them today.

I, unfortunately, did not have a camera, so the pictures here are courtesy of www.jamesriverplantations.org.

We were able to visit Shirley Plantation, which is Virginia's oldest plantation home, dating back to 1613. One of the oldest, most prestigious families in Virginia has owned the home since its early days.

Shirley was a really great example of a traditional working plantation, and had lots of horses, goats, and sheep still on the property. One of my favorite tidbits of information from our tour was that all the family women who marry in the home sign their names in the dining room windows with their diamond rings. It was interesting to see the signatures that were there.

We also got to tour Berkeley, which had stunning grounds. There were large sweeping lawns and lots of weeping willow trees framing the view of the river. We thought the tour wasn't too outstanding, but it was pretty outstanding to be in such an important early American home.

Berkeley was the home of two American presidents (the Harrisons), and was the camping ground for General McClellan and his troops during some battles of the Civil War. In fact, President Lincoln visited to review the troops.

We had lunch at the Charles River Tavern on their nice veranda, and my day was topped off with dinner with both parents at The Melting Pot. You can't get too much better than that!

Center of the Universe

I'm back in Virginia at my parents' home in Yorktown. We've had a great weekend back.

On Saturday, I met up with my friend Ginny in Ashland, which, as you can see by their street sign, is the "Center of the Universe". That cracked us up.

Ashland is just north of Richmond, and was a good kind of halfway point between Yorktown and DC, which is where Ginny lives. We ate at the Ironhorse, a cool little brewery, walked around the campus of Randolph Macon College (starting off our jaunt on Greek Row, natch), and checking out the downtown Ashland scene.

I had such a fantastic time catching up on all things Delta Gamma and what it's like to have a big DC career (I miss those days), and can't wait till Ginny comes to visit Italy in the fall!

Tomorrow Mom and I are going to high tea and shopping in Williamsburg, one of my most favorite Virginia pasttimes.

Still In Arkansas

I'm still in Arkansas. I've been in Cabot and Bella Vista for a couple of weeks now (getting re-acquainted with all my favorite shops), and will head to Virginia on Thursday. I've had a lot of fun visiting with this little guy...