CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Celebrating the long-standing ties between their nations, President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande on Monday toured the sweeping Virginia estate owned by Thomas Jefferson, the former American president and famed Francophile. Obama’s rare out-of-town trip with a foreign leader opened two days of events marking Hollande’s state visit to the United States.

Standing together in Monticello’s grand foyer, Obama said the elegant home represents “the incredible bond and the incredible gifts that France gave us.”

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