Day 9 - Monday 23rd May

Looking at the schedule of events at CW (they republish the maps and schedule weekly!), we decided our days were going to be Tuesday thru Thursday so today we headed for Jamestown, about 7 or 8 miles south of here. This is where the first permanent English settlement was established in 1607. In typical US fashion, there are two centres exhibiting on this - Historic Jamestown which is predominantly archaeological in nature (or so I believe) whilst the Jamestown Experience is more of an interactive museum experience. For no other reason than we reached it first, we visited the Experience.

Wow! If there's one thing the Yanks do better than anybody else, it's to put on a show (actually, are they Yanks in Virginia?). What a show.

We looked at the Indian village which purported to show how the already present Powhatan tribe lived at the time. Then on to the ships - three copies of the ships that brought the English settlers to Jamestown. The Susan Constant, Elizabeth and Discovery are tiny - the largest is only abut 40 feet long. To think that over 100 people were so desperate to make a future for themselves that they sailed 3000 miles in them! (One of the guides came from Barnet, north London)
Next was Jamestown Fort, a replica of the one built to protect themselves from hostile Indians (although it was the indians who helped keep them alive when the harvest failed). Whilst there, we saw one of the guides remove a black snake from the compound - apparently perfectly harmless but often spook the guests!

Now for the exhibits. A wonderfully laid out, seemingly comprehensive set of artefacts and tableaux that gave a real sense of what went on - too much to spell it out - you'll have to go there! Don't forget, this is Pocahontas territory - she was the daughter of the local indian chief and, eventually, married John Rolfe and went to England, where she died. Kentish fact - Pocahontas is buried in Gravesend! We were somewhat astonished to realise we'd been here for nearly 5 hours - well worth the money!

Off to Yorktown next, the third element of the Historic Triangle (Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown). This is where the War of Independence was effectively won by the Americans. Some Frenchie (the Comte de Grasse) stopped the British Navy relieving Cornwallis at Yorktown by fighting the Battle of Two Capes off Cape Henry (see last week). We only visited the waterfront this day (our Jamestown tickets give us access to the Yorktown Victory Center, mmmh) but it was delightful - little beaches a few shops including one that only sold US celebratory stuff - very wierd). We'll come back later in the week.