Gettysburg, Part 2

We stopped to see the statues, canons and plaques at East Cemetery Hill, one of the battlefields.  It should be noted that the main battlefield is only accessible by either a guided tour, or an employee driving your personal car.  We didn't see it.  This is a very big area and it's safe to say that the entire region was a battlefield at one point or another.

That arch to the cemetery was there prior to and during a confederate attack.

 Across the street from the battlefield are very old as well as contemporary graves.

Next we stopped at the Visitor Center which is huge. 

Time was marching on and we were getting pretty tired, with another stop to make after this, so we didn't opt to go into the museum, as it was advised that 2 hours minimum was needed.  There were some displays outside in the halls so that sufficed.

There were bands that accompanied the troops too.

All wars are horrid of course, but it seems as though the method of battle in the Civil War was particularly brutal.

Gorgeous chess set for sale in the gift shop.

"The surrender at Appomattox".

Magnet cracked me up.

Russell chatting up 'honest Abe'.

As we drove out of town, the skies just opened up.  It was pitch black and pouring.  We checked out one more battlefield/memorial area.  

It's kinda hard to see but it was pouring so hard.

The Eternal Light Peace Memorial

Back on the road in the rain to the final stop of the day.

Gettysburg, Part 1

Gettysburg was only about an hour or so from Hershey, so we drove down to check it out.  The skies opened up and it started raining off and on for several hours.  We found a parking spot in the historic downtown area.  Russell made himself comfy at a local pub while I went around shooting pics.  It was a VERY fast walk, with me ducking under awnings and doorways when I needed to.

There is a traffic circle at this end of town but oddly it's known as Lincoln Square.

The architecture was awesome!

This isn't the one Russell was at.

These lit Christmas scenes are amazing.  And expensive.  Upwards of $2,500.00. 

Inside the pub Russell was in....exquisite stained glass lamp shades.

Something tells me that when Union & Confederate soldiers were slaughtering each other, someday a gift shop called 'Blue & Grey' would open on what was probably a battlefield in the 1860s.