Visitors include resident of France

Donna Hartley, an ex-pat living in Paris, France, joined her friend Fritz Elder of Washington, D.C., for a recent visit to Roanoke via Amtrak. Hartley, a photographer, said she especially enjoyed seeing how O. Winston Link used lighting in his steam railroad photos. Link is considered a master of lighting.

Fritz Elder, a representative with Railroad Workers United, previously was an engineer with Amtrak. He said it was exciting to see that the extension of Amtrak to Roanoke happened, and he hoped other connections in southwest Virginia would come.

The couple said they were intrigued by an article that said Roanoke is a good place to retire. That, coupled with a chance to see the museums, brought them to Roanoke. They stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites Roanoke Downtown.