Greetings! It is Saturday and I still have Virginia (not Georgia) on my mind. On September 22nd my daughter, Diana, editor, Joe and I departed from California and began a 10-day journey that took us from Richmond to Charlottesville and Williamsburg. What a busy time and such special memories.
I was fortunate to be a part of the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association's (IFW&TWA) media tour of Virginia. After an easy flight we were met by Tamera Wilkins, Manager of Events for the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. We were transported to the Linden Row Inn. What a treasure! The Inn was developed on land used as a garden and is famous for its roses, jasmines and linden trees. Local legend has it Edgar Allen Poe played in the gardens there and that possibly it is the "enchanted garden" in the poem "To Helen." If he is a ghost in residence there he was very quiet - we didn't hear a sound in the night.
Stepping into the rooms of the Inn is like stepping back in time. It is graciously furnished with antiques and reproductions of the Victorian and Empire era furniture but with amenities to satisfy the modern-day traveller. The Inn was redeveloped by the private sector under the guidelines of the Historic Richmond Foundation.
Just as everything was going so smoothly, the zipper on my large suitcase broke. Luckily for me, Erin Bagnell, Public Relations Manager of the Visitors Bureau, lent me a suitcase that I used throughout the trip and returned after I purchased a replacement on the last day. But what would you do if you were on a tour in an overseas country and your bag broke? Anyone have any interesting experiences to share?
That evening we went off to what had to be one of the most sumptuous dinners our our trip. More on that later!
Great start to your blog and nice post on Virginia. It was a wonderful trip.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanne! We are so glad that you enjoyed the trip. Just picked up my suitcase a few days ago:) Looks like you, Diana and Joe enjoyed your travels post-Richmond as well. Look forward to hearing about the rest of your travels!
ReplyDelete-Erin
Broken suitcase abroad story: several years ago my then-wife and I were on a two-week trip through Europe. Our next-to-last destination was Salzburg, Austria. As we emerged from the train station to walk to our hotel several blocks away, the wheels on her rolling bag broke on the rough sidewalk. It was quite an ordeal on a warm day carrying that heavy bag a few steps at a time all the way to the hotel.
ReplyDeleteWe asked at the front desk if they could recommend a suitcase repair store, and the clerk sent us to "Mr. Koch" (sounds like "cook" in English) around the corner. Mr. Koch didn't speak much English, and I didn't speak much German, so when I haltingly asked if he could fix the wheels he hesitated before blurting out, "Only if you pay!" After I assured him I wasn't looking for a freebie, he agreed, and for less than I thought it was going to cost (I believe it was the Austrian equivalent of about $15-$20).
One more note: when we left the bag, we took with us the strap one uses to pull the suitcase along as it rolls. Mr. Koch apparently thought a necessary piece was missing, and hand-crafted a beautiful strap out of thick, sturdy leather. Clearly, that strap was going to outlast the suitcase by a number of years!
p.s. So when we picked up the bag it had new wheels as well as its gorgeous new strap. When I asked Mr. Koch if it was as good as new. He puffed up his chest in pride and declared, "Better than new!"!!! :-)