We met up with Bobby and Crystal for second breakfast at "First Watch". I chose the porridge, and it was very good. Afterwards, because we had finished breakfast early we went back to Bobby and Crystals place in George Mason University, where Bobby works. The the five of us travelled to Matt and Nicky's home to deliver chocolate and to join with them for a day out. Then all 8 (+2) of us drove in convoy to Manassas National Battlefield Park. That is where the first battle of the Civil War was fought. The film and exhibits were very interesting, but the lobby area of the museum was very confusing, with only a small sign saying there was a charge for entry, and no queueing system to get your tickets from a desk where the people were mainly giving advice about the site and answering questions about the battle.
We set out on the guided tour, where the message of the film began to make a lot more sense. I'm the only one there interested in the battle, but with no background, so the others wanted to move on, which is what we did.
When the war started people on both sides were very ready to fight so the armies were made up of enthusiastic volunteers. Most people thought that only the one battle would be required, so it became a spectator sport, with people taking picnics out to watch the action. What would modern health and safety have to say about that?
The story has a similar feel to the story at the start of WWI, both sides very ready for what they expected would be a short campaign ("It'll all be over by Christmas"), and armies full of willing and enthusiastic, but poorly trained volunteers.
War is always unpredictable, a lesson that seems to surprise us every time. A year later the Civil War was still in progress. Eventually there was only a narrow victory and the death tole was shocking. More Americans died in the Civil War than in any other campaign they have been involved in since, including WWI, WWII and Vietnam.
So we left the battlefield early and headed to the Barrel Oak Winery, where they do wine tastings and you can bring your own picnic. Bringing your own is a good idea, because the food on offer is very expensive, and the sample that I tried was not that great. The winery is a lovely place for an afternoon out with views over the valley and plenty of tables outside as well as inside. The oddest thing was the number of dogs there. Robbie is suspicious of dogs, and does not like to be licked. When a large Alsatian turned to sniff him, he fled, as fast as he could, and was crying.
We set out on the guided tour, where the message of the film began to make a lot more sense. I'm the only one there interested in the battle, but with no background, so the others wanted to move on, which is what we did.
When the war started people on both sides were very ready to fight so the armies were made up of enthusiastic volunteers. Most people thought that only the one battle would be required, so it became a spectator sport, with people taking picnics out to watch the action. What would modern health and safety have to say about that?
The story has a similar feel to the story at the start of WWI, both sides very ready for what they expected would be a short campaign ("It'll all be over by Christmas"), and armies full of willing and enthusiastic, but poorly trained volunteers.
War is always unpredictable, a lesson that seems to surprise us every time. A year later the Civil War was still in progress. Eventually there was only a narrow victory and the death tole was shocking. More Americans died in the Civil War than in any other campaign they have been involved in since, including WWI, WWII and Vietnam.
So we left the battlefield early and headed to the Barrel Oak Winery, where they do wine tastings and you can bring your own picnic. Bringing your own is a good idea, because the food on offer is very expensive, and the sample that I tried was not that great. The winery is a lovely place for an afternoon out with views over the valley and plenty of tables outside as well as inside. The oddest thing was the number of dogs there. Robbie is suspicious of dogs, and does not like to be licked. When a large Alsatian turned to sniff him, he fled, as fast as he could, and was crying.
After spending some time at the winery we had our evening meal at BJs just off I495 on Leesburg Pike. Our main courses were very good, the same could not be said about the sweet course.
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