Staunton, Virginia

It was bright and sunny this morning  (although about -6C) when we set off to drive the three hours to the town of Staunton in south west Virginia.  This view of the town from Sears Hill above the station shows the style of buildings - lots of red brick and many painted houses.  Below is the former American Hotel by the station.

One of our first stops was the railway station - once very busy there are now just a few passenger trains each week - although we were intrigued to find out that it is a stop on a 26 hour journey from New York to Chicago!

The station was fairly quiet today..

At least until a very long freight train rattled through...

After lunch we explored a little and visited a glass blowing workshop..

We watched a couple jointly blowing a glass ornament..

Then a walk through the town..

We visited the Trinity Episcopal Church which has stained glass windows spanning 100 years, including 12 by Louis Comfort Tiffany.  Unfortunately we were unable to see them inside as the church was closed (these photos borrowed from the web...)

We also visited the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson and the adjacent museum telling the story of his life and time as President of the United States during the First World War.

Staunton is certainly an interesting town.  This evening we went to the American Shakespeare Theatre to see Hamlet - more about that tomorrow.