No wonder Mr Jefferson loved Charlottesville

Having boarded The Cardinal in Chicago in the early evening it was already dark by the time we reached Indiana so unfortunately I missed Lafayette, Indianapolis and Cincinnati (which is in Ohio).

I awoke, after the one and only restless night on a train, as we approached Portsmouth, Kentucky and was rewarded with a stunning sunrise.

As we press on into West Virginia the scenery is very reminiscent of home - green and lush with undulating landscape - so different from the flat arid deserts and plains of Central America.

The photo above is taken in Huntington, WV and could almost have been an English village somewhere.

We could see the Gold domed Capital building of Charleston in the distance as we passed.

Following the Greenbrier River we head towards White Sulphur Springs - the birthplace of American golf - which has hosted the Ryder cup at the World famous Greenbrier Resort.

The landscape is beautiful especially following the river and springs, trees and blossom are now in bloom and flowers are beginning to appear - spring has finally sprung in West Virginia.

I have been looking forward to seeing Charlottesville and as we continue along the Shenandoah valley we start the climb into the Allegheny Mountains which mark the boundary between West Virginia and Virginia as well as the Eastern Continental Divide.

We finally reach Charlottesville early afternoon and the Sunshine is glorious and very welcome!

Charlottesville has been named the best place to live in the USA based on cost of living, climate and quality of life - and I'm not surprised. It has a very organic, homespun, laid back feel to it.

Its Historic downtown mall is one of the oldest in America and the Town was undamaged by the Civil War as it was surrendered by the Mayor to spare it from burning.

An imposing statue of Robert E Lee, Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, dominates in Lee park - another memorial to the Civil War.

I stopped at Timberlake's Drug store to sample the advertised 'best milkshake in Virginia' - you walk through the store and the diner is at the rear - it took a full 5 minutes to prepare my cherry milkshake and it was, indeed, stupendous!!

Charlottesville is home to not 1, not 2 but 3 former Presidents - Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe.

It is also home to the University of Virginia and Jefferson's renowned mountain top home Monticello (more of Monticello later).

I stayed at the beautiful Alexander Inn & Hostel with its own picket fence and front porch - the house was amazing inside - all wooden floors and I had a bedroom to myself not a dorm this time. The house is owned and run by a co operative and is fully organic and totally Eco friendly, I could have stayed quite happily for weeks.