Thursday, 26 July 2012
Start our day with a return trip to Hyperion Espresso. Along with fresh pressed coffee drinks, pastries are their specialty. Yesterday I had the cinnamon swirl croissant and today the chocolate croissant. Both excellent.
We fill our water bottles with ice in preparation for the 100-degree day and check out of our hotel. Next stop: Appomattox.
A nice two-hour drive through rolling hills, past lots of logging trucks hauling felled trees. We decide to visit the new Museum of the Confederacy first and spend about 90 minutes viewing the permanent exhibit on the end of the war and an interesting temporary exhibit of flags of the Confederacy. We’re all glad not to be touring battlefields in this brutal heat.
With an hour before closing time, we race over to Appomattox Courthouse and with 45 minutes to spare, we’re admitted to the park (free of charge!) with just enough time to tour the McLean House and see the room where Generals Grant and Lee met to sign the surrender. Even if the house is re-constructed (from the original), it’s amazing to see. I admit I had goosebumps standing in a room with the weight of so much history inside it.
Our final night on the road is spent at the nicest lodging in town, a B&B called the Babcock House. Unfortunately, they’re not serving dinner the week of our stay, and Appomattox has very little to recommend itself as a dining destination. (Everyone we asked for recommendations said to come here.) Lunch at Granny Bee’s is mediocre and slow, even by Southern standards, and dinner is a disappointing stop at the Dairy Queen, followed by a trip to Kroger’s for cold beer. We spend the evening in our comfortable suite of rooms, reading, writing, and chatting.
2 Things @ Once 