Monticello and Ash Lawn-Highland, VA

I feel very fortunate to have opportunities that I do with travel . . . this one was a little unexpected but it was on my list of historical things to do while living in VA. I made this trip with about 60 fourth graders and it was a blast. The first stop was Ashlawn-Higland. This is a historic house museum, 535-acre working farm, and performing arts site in Albemarle County, Virginia. President James Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe of New York, owned Ash Lawn-Highland from 1793 to 1826 and made it their official residence from 1799 to 1823. After the Monroes' death, the name of their farm was changed from "Highland" to "Ash Lawn"; today both names are used. We toured his home and grounds plus there was a neat demonstration about weaponry of the day/living the plantation. I would highly recommend making this part of your visit if you are in the Charlottesville area. In fact, Monticello and Ash Lawn can be made into a day of historic fun!
That’s exactly what we did! After the Ash Lawn-Highland tour, we made our way to Monticello. During lunchtime, slowly, the weather turned from chilly and gray to soaking wet and cold! Then, by the time the buses arrived at Monticello, the rain was steady and the fog was settling in. The fog was so thick that when you looked ahead, you could not see more than 25 yards. At one point, I looked at the backside of Monticello from Thomas Jefferson’s garden and it gave me a chill. I was actually spooked because it was the perfect setting for a ghost story. Yikes! To top it off, nearly ¾ the way through the tour, you are given the chance to roam the grounds. President Jefferson is buried on the grounds and you are permitted to visit his graveside. I walked to his memorial (through the thick fog, a little creeped out) to discover that we were there on his birth date. That was truly an accident because when I talked to the 4th Grade Teaching Chair to tell her what I had discovered, she reacted the same way I did. She was like, “No way, what coincidence.” I was sure to mention that to the students and they all got a kick out of it as well.

**I actually took a picture of the spookiness so be sure to check that out.**

Seriously, the grounds and President Jefferson’s home was really something to see. I wish that I could have been sneaky and took pictures inside but the household guides watched you like a hawk and threatened to take your camera if they caught you photographing after been warned. They were serious.

The rooms that I most enjoyed inside Monticello were President Jefferon’s library and bedroom. Each had so much character. He had so many inventions that I just could not believe it. President Jefferson designed the house himself and the things that I found to be so neat was the use of alcove beds to maximize space, skylights for use of natural lighting and President Jefferson’s closet.

In his bedroom he had a skylight and a partition wall to form a bed between his study/office and his bedroom. He had an alcove and a closet above. You would never know that it was a closet because it was simply visible from his bedroom or study as holes in the wall near the ceiling. The closet was reached by a steep stair or ladder. The closet was a simple, narrow hallway that was located directly above his alcove bed. The elliptical openings in the wall were there for ventilation. He was definitely innovative and it was super neat to see his ideas on simple living—luxuries of the time.

Munich, Germany & Dachau

It was a monumental day . . . I had the opportunity to visit a Nazi Concentration Camp called Dachau. This one is particularly historic because it is the model. It was the first Nazi camp to be functional and all the rest that were scattered across Europe were modeled after the functionality of Dachau. My Omi spoke graciously bowed out because that is a little too close to home for her.
Since middle school, I have always been keen on learning about the Holocaust and for me to have the opportunity to see an actually concentration camp was incredible. When I was actually there, I can remember thinking, “This is one of things that some humans actually deny that ever happened.” My forethought that I had running in my head the entire time I toured the grounds was: This was the site of unjust actions toward humans beings and it was all done by human beings to human being. I mean, Dachau and Aushwitz . . . You see movies/documentaries or to read about it in history books but to visit the actual grounds and see it with my own eyes . . . it was one of the most humbling experiences. There were times I just wanted to cry for all the humility and cruelty that so many individuals endured just because they were “different” from the supposed “supreme race.”

**Out of respect, I feel it is most appropriate for me not to post the pictures that I took from inside some of the camp’s facilities. **

After Dachau, I knew that I needed to take my mind off the intensity of the experience. I needed to “shelf” all that I saw. So, my Omi and I went downtown Munich, Germany. Munich is home to the all-famous Glockenspiel. It consists of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures. The neatest thing happened, it was like if perfect timing existed . . . I experienced it. My favorite thing to do in a European city is to climb the highest tower and get a perspective on the happenings from above. So, that is exactly what I did in Munich and it just happened that I could climb the city tower and watch the Glockenspiel’s high noon demonstration of 43 beautiful bells ringing a tune as the Glockenspiel’s life-size figures dance around telling the story of the Duke and his marriage (which happens to be the history behind the Oktoberfest as well). I climbed 300 something steps and as I hit the last step, I heard the bells begin to ring. I rushed out on the observation deck and took it all in. It was so neat!

Later that night, Omi and I went to a place called “The Hofbrau Haus.” It is a party spot for Bavarians with lots of freshly brewed in-house beer and a live Polka-Band! My Omi and I spilt our favorite beer called the Radler. We enjoyed the fellowship of totally friendly strangers. For me, it was a time to have a great beer and have a chance to speak German in a fun and not-so-serious atmosphere. It was a great way to take a load off a day that started so intensely. Good times!!