Saturday 31st January 2015
Today we leave Asheville and trend north eastward towards Roanoke VA. One of the suburbs of Roanoke is Salem where is located the bar/restaurant called Mac & Bob’s. We will have lunch there before going on to stay with our friend Judy Lung who used to work for ACL and who now lives in Charlottesville VA.
On the way out of the Aloft Hotel we met Annabel who is the latest dog who is up for adoption at the hotel. She is an 8 month old collie cross who is completely adorable and it was all I could do to resist grabbing her and leaving but the dimensions of a NYC apartment are too constricting for an active dog such as her.
The drive to Salem for our rendezvous with MAC and BOB’s was pleasant over the mountains and through wooded country. We arrived at Salem at about 1.45 pm and had lunch. We met Bob and shared our story of seeing someone at a concert at Shea Stadium in 1992 in. MAC and BOB’s tee shirt. We stopped him and asked him where he got it and he told us about the place in Salem. Amazingly, Bob, himself, was at that concert and although he could not recall it we think it must have been him we spoke to all those years ago. He had been a last minute addition to a group of bankers who went to the concert. It must have been some coincidence and finally after all these years we have made it to visit the restaurant. The interesting story of the restaurant is the subject of a separate post.
We had a very nice meal, bought some souvenir clothing items and then moved on. Our target was Appomattox where the courthouse was the scene of the surrender at the end of the Civil War. On the way we saw signs to the D-Day Memorial. This is in a small place called Bedford. Curious as to why this should be, we found out that it was the community with the largest per capita losses on that day. We stopped briefly to view the monument up on the hill but had to press on to Appomattox as the museum there would close at 5 pm.
We arrived in the town of Appomattox at about 4.45 pm and found what we thought was the courthouse, it looked the part but when we went in we were told the real site was some way down the road. We found this group of buildings and it was, by then, after 5 pm. One volunteer was left and he showed us the room in which the surrender was signed. He also told us that there was never a peace treaty between the North and the South as the North never recognized the Confederacy as a legal entity. Papers of surrender were signed and that was that until this day. He also told us that the last Confederate unit to surrender was a ship called the Shenandoah, which being built in Liverpool UK returned there and surrendered in England!! Unfortunately we were too late for the book store to have our National Parks Passport stamped.
The court house in which the surrender was signed looks just like a normal house of the period and nothing like the imposing building we imagined or the one in the town which was a Greek Revival building that looked much more imposing. Nevertheless it was quite impressive to stand in the room where such a historic event occurred and we are grateful to the volunteer who waited to great us.
From Appomattox, we drove to Charlottesville and found Judy’s house. It had been quite a long day.
We were soon introduced to Judy’s cats, BoyBoy and GirlGirl who are the masters of the house!!! They are lovely soft,long haired cats, he being friendly but she being a bit shy.
After catching up on Judy’s news for a while we all went out to Jason's Deli for a really nice soup and salad dinner with some great ice cream. Then it was back and to bed.
Today we leave Asheville and trend north eastward towards Roanoke VA. One of the suburbs of Roanoke is Salem where is located the bar/restaurant called Mac & Bob’s. We will have lunch there before going on to stay with our friend Judy Lung who used to work for ACL and who now lives in Charlottesville VA.
On the way out of the Aloft Hotel we met Annabel who is the latest dog who is up for adoption at the hotel. She is an 8 month old collie cross who is completely adorable and it was all I could do to resist grabbing her and leaving but the dimensions of a NYC apartment are too constricting for an active dog such as her.
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Annabel, how could you resist? |
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We stopped briefly at the Virginia Welcome Center - this is a montage of the eight Virginians who were President of the United States. |
Testaments to Mac & Bob's restaurant |
Mac & Bob's inside and out. |
We had a very nice meal, bought some souvenir clothing items and then moved on. Our target was Appomattox where the courthouse was the scene of the surrender at the end of the Civil War. On the way we saw signs to the D-Day Memorial. This is in a small place called Bedford. Curious as to why this should be, we found out that it was the community with the largest per capita losses on that day. We stopped briefly to view the monument up on the hill but had to press on to Appomattox as the museum there would close at 5 pm.
A distant view of the D Day monument |
We arrived in the town of Appomattox at about 4.45 pm and found what we thought was the courthouse, it looked the part but when we went in we were told the real site was some way down the road. We found this group of buildings and it was, by then, after 5 pm. One volunteer was left and he showed us the room in which the surrender was signed. He also told us that there was never a peace treaty between the North and the South as the North never recognized the Confederacy as a legal entity. Papers of surrender were signed and that was that until this day. He also told us that the last Confederate unit to surrender was a ship called the Shenandoah, which being built in Liverpool UK returned there and surrendered in England!! Unfortunately we were too late for the book store to have our National Parks Passport stamped.
The court house in which the surrender was signed looks just like a normal house of the period and nothing like the imposing building we imagined or the one in the town which was a Greek Revival building that looked much more imposing. Nevertheless it was quite impressive to stand in the room where such a historic event occurred and we are grateful to the volunteer who waited to great us.
OK, we should have read the sign, but it was late. |
NOT the Appomattox Courthouse!!! This is the NEW court house which we went to first and looks the part but it is now a theater. |
The McLean House which is the house in which the surrender was signed. |
...and above, the room in which the surrender was signed |
This map tells the story of the surrender of the Shenandoah which took place in Liverpool, England. |
Some other houses on the site of the surrender. |
From Appomattox, we drove to Charlottesville and found Judy’s house. It had been quite a long day.
We were soon introduced to Judy’s cats, BoyBoy and GirlGirl who are the masters of the house!!! They are lovely soft,long haired cats, he being friendly but she being a bit shy.
After catching up on Judy’s news for a while we all went out to Jason's Deli for a really nice soup and salad dinner with some great ice cream. Then it was back and to bed.
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