i've just returned from charlottesville, which was a nice enough town. i've got to wait for juliet (the friend chloe and i visited) to send me the pictures, so this blog will be, unfortunately, a few pixels short of the previous ones.

we hit the road around 11, talking and laughing and catching up until i dozed off. we arrived in charlottesville around 3, and immediately walked down to the mall while we still had some daylight. the mall is this bricked walkway through town with lots of shops and restaurants, similar to the fußgangerzone in münich. we strolled all the way down to the university, where we took a very brief tour and i decided UVA is probably not for me, before we trekked back into town and had a lovely dinner-- a delicious spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer (which i actually enjoyed!) and chicken tenders for me. after that we headed back to juliets place, which is absolutely amazing, and curled up to watch harry potter 4 & 5 (i read breaking dawn through most of it).


the next day we didn't awake until around 11:30, which was refreshing. we had omelets for breakfast, then headed to monticello, which was thomas jefferson's home in virginia. it's a beautiful building both inside and out, but historic houses aren't really my scene. i found out some interesting things about tj, though. he was an alright guy. afterwards we went for gelato, which may seem impractical given it was probably not even 60 outside, but pair that with authentic italian hot chocolate and you really can't go wrong. for dinner we had an authentic bavarian meal and i stuffed myself stupid. we made the train, scheduled to leave at 8:50, by the skin of our teeth.

one thing in particular i enjoyed about this trip was the time it gave me to think, and trust me, i've had plenty richocheting around my skull. i'm beginning to wonder if i am in fact an introvert, which i'd never really considered given my social disposition. maybe it's just the fact that i'm coming to fullyh appreciate and really enjoy the time i spend alone. i've also come to the conclusion that i was so wrong about relationships as a whole. something things don't just line up perfectly, and it's ok to have doubts and fears. sometimes, it's worth working for it.