Spring Break: part 3

After leaving Clemson, we drove for about six hours and eventually made it to Charlottesville, VA. We stayed in a hotel for the night and then the next day, proceeded to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's estate, which was situated on his own little mountain (the name 'Monticello' means little mountain in Italian).  When we got there, the tickets for the house tour were sold out for the next two hours, which at first seemed awful but the time gap allowed us to walk around the grounds before the impending rain (it was more like torrential down pours if you ask me).  So before the tour my Dad and I were able to walk through the gardens, the basement, the kitchen, and Jefferson's gravesite.

This is what the front of Monticello looks like

This is the kitchen and part of the basement of the house. (and my Dad)

Here are the sprawling grounds and gardens

The cemetery on the property only has direct descendants of Thomas Jefferson in it. 

and, of course, himself. 

He also had his own vineyard

We then went on the house tour, with the oldest tour guide in existence, who geared everything she said to the three children on the tour and completely ignored everyone else

(Fun Fact: Thomas Jefferson was obsessed with clocks)

 Also, no pictures inside, unfortunately. The next stop was to the basement (mostly to avoid the rain) 

(Fun Fact: Jefferson had a ton of alcohol on site) 

After Monticello we drove the rest of the way home, where it had also been raining. I then spent the rest of my spring break procrastinating homework and sleeping. Like everyday.

Talk to you later,

-Karin xx

Spring Break 2014: part 2

My Dad, the dog, and I then embarked on an eight hour car ride to Clemson, South Carolina. The sole purpose of stopping in Clemson was to go on a college tour of Clemson University.  Clemson is ranked #21 of the Top Public Schools, #8 in Up and Coming Schools, and #4 in Happiest Students (the tour guide would not stop talking about the last one).  The students we passed by seemed to have a lot of school spirit, shouting school chants as our group walked passed. The campus is right next to a small downtown area, made up of mostly restaurants and school spirit gear, pretty normal when it comes to college towns. The Clemson campus is also home to John C. Calhoun's mansion, which if you like history like me, was very interesting to find out.

The first place the guide took us was to the main lawn which is overlooked by Tillman Hall and the University Clock Tower 

At some point during the tour I tweeted that we were at the Clemson Library, and they tweeted me back. (I thought this was super exciting and cool).

After the tour was over, my Dad and I decided to check out the John C. Calhoun house/mansion we had pasted earlier. But we showed up during their siesta time so we couldn't go inside. So I got some pictures of the outside and ended up showing my history teacher and getting some brownie points (an added bonus to going on a college tour that exempts you from school).

All in all I really liked Clemson as a school and think that it'd be great to go to school there one day.

Next stop: Monticello, Virginia

Talk to you later,

-Karin xx

Spring Break 2014: part 1

I spent spring break this year poolside and college-bound. I left school three days early (cheapest plane ticket my parents would get) and was on my way to Florida. My Grandma lives down there during the winter, and my Dad has an annual hockey tournament that he plays in that happened to coincide with my spring break. This was the perfect opportunity for everyone involved: my Dad played in his tournament, I got to look at colleges and be in Florida for 10 days, and my Grandma had someone to drive her car back up to New York. Yes, we drove from Southern Florida (Sarasota) all the way up to New York/ New Jersey (well mostly my Dad, but I drove for the beginning portion). 

Anyway, I flew down to Florida the Wednesday before school let out and I was ecstatic to be away from everything for a while.

Here is a generic window shot from the plane. enjoy.

When I got to my Grandma's house I found her little beagle, Daisy just waiting to go for a walk 

We stayed in Florida for five days while my Dad played in the hockey tournament, which in turn meant I got four days of swimming/beach bumming and one day for a college tour. This is where I spent my days

Before my Grandma headed back up North, we went out to dinner to Owen's Fish Camp, which in my opinion, had the friendliest, most Floridian atmosphere I have ever experienced.  It's located in downtown Sarasota but feels as if you're in Key West. We had to wait for a table but there was plenty of seating in the backyard portion of the restaurant. There was a live string band performing, which entertained those who were either at the bar or waiting for a table. 

I was able to record a few of the songs they did, and surprised myself with how much I actually enjoyed listening to them 

I liked the atmosphere of the entire area the most though. The building were covered in murals and fantastical trees,

the only things that made it better were the weather, the decorations that seemed to have accumulated over the years, and of course the amazing food. 

I may have been too hungry to wait and document it for instagram, but let me tell you, that food looked as good as it tasted. Everything was homemade there and you could tell the time the cooks took to make sure their food went out perfectly to order. I definitely recommend going there if you have the chance.

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I then proceeded to on a college tour before my Dad and I began driving home. I visited Florida Gulf Coast University, which if you haven't heard of it, that's because it's only 16 years old. The campus a little bubble outside Fort Meyers, which my Dad says looks like Squidward's head. I really liked the school after going to the tour (mostly because it's in Florida) but also because it has the majors I want to pursue. 

The day after the tour we began driving to our next destination: Clemson, South Carolina.

My next post will be all about the rest of the trip through South Carolina and Virginia, all the way home.

Talk to you later,

-Karin xx