Gettysburg was the biggest surprise of our East Coast trip this summer. We enjoyed a beautiful ride through the countryside to this small Pennsylvania village and arrived in time to enjoy a late afternoon drive through this historic battlefield. We began at the visitor center with the cyclorama portrait of the battle. We had expected something cheesy, but the beautiful 360 degree painting completed in 1884 was an incredible depiction of the tragedy that occurred here. The drive through the battlefield itself is lovely, with rolling hills and bucolic scenery.
We spent the night at the Hilton Garden Inn, and the next morning headed to the Eisenhower home. The bus to the Eisenhower compound leaves from the same visitor center as the battlefield. It take about 15 minutes.
The Eisenhower was a trip back in time for baby boomers. Time has stood still at the estate and you find yourself caught in a 1950s time warp. You can almost feel the presence of the Eisenhowers and you see Ike's paint brushes still by the canvas and Mamie's pink bedroom. The kitchen reminded us of "I Love Lucy" with its 50s appliances and linoleum.
Outside, we toured the guest house where Monte stayed, the barns and the putting green before heading back to the visitors center.
We lunched at a pub on the main square in Gettysburg, which we had not found the night before. After lunch, we visited several shops before hitting the road to Williamsburg, Va.
No comments:
Post a Comment