Phase 1 completed, Phase 2 launched.

After posting my thoughts yesterday we decided to take the bikes up to the Amtrak station and get them checked in early for the trip today. The guy on the desk was really mega unhelpful and implied they couldn't take bikes, that they needed to be in a  cardboard box and that they were too big. We stood our ground repeating that we had travelled with them before, until finally he got an actual baggage guy up to help. Laconic Yank takes one look, says 'Sure, we take them all the time and those bags are way better than cardboard boxes, not oversized either.' Job done, but a few anxious moments.  Today we also checked in our other bags so we didn't have to manhandle them on and off a crowded train. This left us with an easy journey on a very comfortable train with masses of leg room. Two and a half hours later we were decanted in Charlottesville and the bikes plus bags were off-loaded as we got to the baggage car. Our hotel was only 0.2 miles away, so I headed off with one bag, while the Mechanic guarded the rest, checked in and dumped the bag in our room, repeated with bag 2, then we walked both the bikes round.  We got some strange looks, but we are getting adept at ignoring them.

2 hours or so later the bikes were reassembled and stored in a meeting room, the staff here being more helpful than we could have dared to hope for.  The Mechanic is very impressed with my choice of hotel, a couple of hundred yards from World of Beer - featuring at least 500 different beers, or so it says.  We went out to eat at a local diner and thought you might like to savour the thought of one of the dishes - the 'West Monte Cristo' sandwich. The description is pictured below and for the uninitiated 'powdered' means sprinkled with sugar. Read it and weep.

Nearly as mind blowing was our server tonight when we ordered dessert. I asked for one hot fudge Sundae and one caramel sundae. He thought a bit and then asked if I wanted a hot fudge or a caramel sundae. I said I wanted one of each, so he thought a bit more and then muttered a bit until ringing up the wrong amount on the till. I pointed out that he was undercharging me, so he thought a bit more and said that he had put in the price of a hot fudge sundae with caramel on top. I said (again) that I wanted one hot fudge sundae and one caramel sundae. Long pause, then a light seemed to go on in his head and he said 'so you want one of each?'  Give me strength..............

Today's teaser: who knows what 'Bachata' and 'Kizoma' are. We missed out tonight and sadly won't be in town for the Recorder Society meeting.

Finally how many different types of police does one City need. In DC we clocked the following:

Secret Service, Transit police, Capitol police, Federal police, Amtrak police, Military police, District police and plain old Police.