Visiting Raphine, Staunton, and Waynesboro Virginia

     We took a little weekend getaway at an Airbnb in Raphine this weekend and it was lovely! We and  another couple, who are friends of ours, rented a comfortable cottage on a working cattle and horse farm. The farm is situated on four hundred and thirty-five acres in a beautiful valley. The driveway into the property is half a mile long, bringing us to the 1900's cottage where we stayed. The cottage sat near the main house, a brick colonial built in 1820, and it was all very pretty and secluded.

     It was gently snowing when we arrived late Friday afternoon. It added a fresh coat of white to the snow already on the ground from two weeks prior. It looked very pretty but the side roads were becoming slick so we decided not to venture too far away for dinner. We drove to a German restaurant, nearby called Edelweiss. The restaurant is located in a big old house and has been there for decades. I became a little concerned as we walked up to the front door when I saw dead potted plants strewn about and trash overflowing out of a can along the walkway. The front porch had an entire Christmas village on tables flanking the front door with some lit and some not, and lots of odds and ends thrown about. It was all very unkempt and kind of trashy looking. All I could do was trust our friends who had eaten here before and assured us the food was good. When we stepped inside, the sound of German music greeted us at the door. They had a duo playing tuba and accordion. It really sounded fun! The restaurant was bustling with customers and it had a jovial, festive atmosphere. It turned out that the food was very good and plentiful. The cuisine is in the Black Forrest style, down to earth and hearty. Sauerbraten, Bratwurst, Weiner Schnitzel, Sauerkraut, Black Forest Cake, and other items extensively filled the menu. We left in good spirits and headed back to the cottage to settle in for the night.

     The next morning we woke to single digit temperatures and sunshine! I took these photos from the porch of the cottage as the sun came up over the mountains. We had a leisurely breakfast and then headed to Verona and Staunton for some antique hunting. I can never get enough "looking" at antiques and it is one of my favorite hobbies. The four of us looked for our favorite things to collect and we spread out over the stores, coming back together at the register to see what the others had found. I'm getting pickier these days as I don't need to bring more "stuff" into the house but, I like to search for Christmas ornaments, picture frames for my stitching, and the occasional piece of furniture that would be useful to have. Steve likes to hunt for old musical instruments. I can always tell when he has found one because I will hear the sound of bugle, trumpet, saxophone or whatever echoing across the aisles. We laugh at the fun stuff we find like an old stuffed squirrel, mounted on a log with a nut in its mouth. On this visit Steve came away with a very large Bausch and Lomb magnifying glass to use on his technical drawings for work. I found a crisp white dresser scarf and a lovely old oak picture frame. We were happy scavengers!

     We stopped for lunch (and craft beer for the guys) at The Green Room on Beverley Street in Staunton. Along with craft beer they have a simple menu with baguette sandwiches, and tater tots. I had a delicious salad with citrus fruit on greens and a "pomegranate molasses" dressing . After this, we browsed Beverley Cigars where Steve found two of his favorites to purchase. It was bitterly cold and windy outside and not fun for strolling the sidewalks so we left town at this point. Our next stop was to Cross Stitch Station in Waynesboro. This shop owner has a great inventory for stitchery. We first dropped the guys off at Basic City Beer Co. where they could sample beer and not be bored while we shopped threads. When we returned an hour later to pick up the guys, we stayed and played some shuffle board. The place also had a pool table and other games along with big screen TV's for sports viewing. The guys did not care for the beer that was brewed here but business was busy and it was a fun place to hang out. It was getting late when we headed back to the cottage so we picked up some take-out pizza nearby at Giovanna's Pizza and we stayed cozy inside for the night. We played a game, the guys watched a movie, and it was good day. 

     We took our time with coffee and breakfast the following morning. We packed up the car around 10:30 and decided to drive home via the back roads. Route 11 is a very pretty drive and it took us through Lexington. As we approached Devil's Backbone Brewing Co. and Duke's antique mall, we decided to make more stops. At Duke's I found three Shiny Brite Christmas ornaments, a bottle brush tree, and an interesting little brown bottle. Next, we settled in at a table at Devil's Backbone where we all ordered hamburgers for lunch. The food is really very good here and Steve likes some of their beer. We included two sides; fried mushrooms and roasted Brussels sprouts. They have a large outdoor deck overlooking the mountains. For the winter months, they installed several geodesic domes made of plastic and looking like igloos. Inside the domes are chairs and some sort of heater. They weren't in use this day due to some safety issues with the extension cords to the heaters but they looked like they could be fun to sit in to enjoy the views on a chilly day.

     We arrived home mid afternoon and quickly unpacked our single suitcase and got our bearings back at our own home. We had filled our weekend with the right balance of activities and relaxation and Steve got a break from the hours and hours he spends working out of our basement every day. I would love to go back to the cottage in the spring when everything is green and spend more time outside and on the porch. I appreciate these Airbnb's for the service they provide as an alternative to hotels and regular Bed and Breakfasts. It's a more private experience to have a place all to yourself and you need not interact with staff or other guests. These Airbnb's can also be unique experiences like this farm where we stayed. In better weather, we could have wandered the farm, visited the animals, and made a fire in the outdoor patio fireplace. Had we brought children, there were pony rides and a swing set. We did purchase several pounds of their pasture raised beef to take home with us. That's not what you would typically experience at a hotel.