Day 11 - Wednesday 25th May

Decided today to top up our Colonial Williamsburg visit with a couple of bits we'd missed. Ha! We spent nearly the whole day there!

The first thing we'd missed was the tour round the Governor's Palace so we made this the first port of call. Upon entry to the courtyard, you're asked to sit on benches to await the start - during this time, one of the "enactors" gives you an entertaining and interesting briefing - you enjoy waiting! The palace itself was also good but, ultimately, it's a house with period things in it. Without a doubt, we're beginning to realise that the magic of Williamsburg is the population of enactors livng out their roles - fantastic.

We visited the Museum to see the guy who played Thomas Jefferson again. He is brilliant - again, like "Washington" yesterday, he takes questions from the audience. After his peroration, he was even happy to pose for photos - I also saw him inscribing a book for someone, that's how convincing he is.

With these events and a look around, before we knew it, it was 5 pm - another day gone!

Day 10 - Tuesday 24th May

Where to start? Today was our first day in Colonial Williamsburg, the theme park. No, actually, it wasn't a theme park - it was a fantastic representation of what Williamsburg really looked like in the late 18th century, when so much momentous stuff was happening in Virginia.

The day started badly - alarm clock set for 6.30 am so we could be at the visitor center in time to convert our certificates into tickets and reach the 9 am orientation walk. We nearly made it - I woke Carol at 7.05! We did actually get away by 8.20 and were in plenty of time for the first orientation walk of the day. The little old lady who walked us into battle (!) was a fount of information and obviously in love with what she did- a good omen. The trees in Palace Green include catalpa and were selected and positioned according to the will of Thomas Jefferson as he wanted trees that were indigenous to Virginia and Ohio.

Rather than provide a blow by blow account of our day, I will provide a taste in the hope that you will sense our enjoyment. We were, after all, in CW for close on 8 hours!

Our particular favourite moments were the re-enactments – CW is full of people dressed, approximately in some cases, in the fashion of the times; some are actors who, convincingly, act out their part as a particular character of the time, some are “ordinary folk”. It sounds vaguely Disney-ish, I know, but, trust me, it’s miles better. The first example of this was when we visited the kitchen of the Governor’s Palace to find a man dressed in character in front of a range (of its time) with examples of food of the time on a table in front of him. Rather than being a custodian, a la National Trust, perhaps , he expounded on all manner of topics relating to food and cooking at the time.

We then went into the palace gardens to watch “A Public Audience with Thomas Jefferson”- an actor came into the garden and proceeded to dazzle us all with his part in the history of revolutionary America and the principles behind the American Declaration of Independency. Dazzling, indeed!

We walked down to the Wyth House where we learned of his part in setting up America’s first law school (which Thomas Jefferson attended for 4 years) and his being a signatory to the Declaration of Independence. We also saw a demonstration of basket weaving!

Then it was down to the Kimball Theatre for another re-enactment tour-de-force – “A Conversation with President Washington”. Again, an actor playing a part but, boy, how he did it! Rather than declaiming on some appropriate topic – he invited questions from the audience! How do they do this?! The tone, the style and, as far as we could tell, the content were spot on – bravo!

By now, we were hungry – but not as hungry as we would have needed to be to finish the tuna melt sandwiches we ordered.

Our next appointment (we’d had to book) was an event titled “Working the Soil, Healing the Soul” –probably my favourite event of the day. 2 obviously qualified and committed guys (conveniently black?) talked the party through, and showed by actions, what life for a slave on a plantation was like. No holds barred, no pussyfooting about – they told it straight. Frightening what men could do to fellow men (but, of course, they didn’t see them that way). I will no longer think of spirituals as just negro songs – I will remember their role in regulating the group’s work rate so they all had a chance of survival.

Then the most potentially Disney-ish (but, actually, very stirring) bit – Revolutionary City, as they call it. Essentially, this is a series of tableaux played out by actors on Duke of Gloucester Street. The arrest and trial of a drunkard for apparent sedition; an actor playing Edmund Randolph talking to a few of us on benches of his history and future roles; a reading of the Declaration of Independence, accompanied by a band of fifes and drums (must have driven them mad if that’s all the music they had!)

Back to Fresh Market for ribeye steak and chicken Vienna (then Farm Fresh for ice cold beer and cider). Dinner and drinks....oblivion, yet again!

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.

Day 8 - Sunday 22nd May

Having looked through the book of money off vouchers given to us on check in, decided to go to the Old Mill Pancake House for breakfast. Took some finding but, once we got there, it was the usual big smile and welcome.
Carol went for the stack of 3 buttermilk pancakes while I decided the Plantation breakfast was more my style - bacon, sausage (two ways), biscuit (savoury scone), home fries, two eggs, grits (??!!) and two buttermilk pancakes. Forget any memories of the buttermilk pancakes we make at home - these are the size of dinner plates!Suffice to say, neither of us finished although we enjoyed it all. Note: don't bother with grits!

Then it was off to the dreaded timeshare presentation.Very slick, very professional but...we came away not owning one of their timeshares (we already own 2 weeks) and with our 3 day passes for Colonial Williamsburg. Mission accomplished to quote some President or other!

One of the supposed benefits was that we could park at this resort and walk into Colonial Williamsburg - so we did. It's about 1 mile long and 1/2 mile across (we later learnt) and anyone can wander round at will - the tickets are needed for access to talks, presentations and the historic buildings. So we wandered for a while then headed to our favourite supermarket - Fresh Market (they must open a branch in Tonbridge - I will write to them!).

The range and quality of their products is amazing - about 20 different mustards, for example. On this occasion, we decided I would cook at the apartment and, in the end, we chose NY Strip steak, baked potato and salad with ranch dressing as our menu. The steaks!!!!!! Carol had the thin one, at only one inch thick! And at $11 a pound, they were cheap.

To get ourselves ready for dinner, we decided to return to CW to attend church in the Episcopalian Bruton Parish Church. An original 17th century church with very plain interior and typical box pews. Made very welcome and, at least for me, it was strange worshipping in a service based on the Book of Common Prayer. However, we took part in the Eucharist and felt good. Carol felt more at home after her years in other churches - but it were nowt like St Stephens!

(Post meal note: the steaks were cooked perfectly and tasted delicious!)

We then phoned home using Skype on the iPhone - just hope it worked properly and didn't cost me on Vodafone! It was great to talk to everyone and especially to be able to wish Bert "Happy Birthday" for tomorrow.
Then beer and telly then bed.

Day 7 - Saturday 21st May

Today was our day for saying farewell to Virginia Beach and hello to Williamsburg. However, as with most holiday accommodation, we had to be out by 10 am but couldn’t take on until 4 pm – how to fill the day when Williamsburg is only about an hour from Virginia Beach? Easy! Head for North Carolina, 2 hours south!

All joking apart, whilst looking at the map, we realised that Kittihawk was not too far away and we all know what happened there, don’t we? We thought it too good an opportunity to miss out on so set off, having decided to go via no interstate roads (memo to self – don’t do this next time, it’s very slow).Anyway, it was a pleasant enough drive with lots of small towns and market stalls/farmers shops on the way – it’s obviously the peach season as they were advertised everywhere.

Eventually, we reached the Wright Brothers National Memorial which is actually at a place called Kill Devil Hills (where do they get these names from?). Well, it was beautifully done and a really inviting setup. Run by the National Park Service, it costs the grand sum of $4 each to get in where you then can see an interesting, well laid out museum that includes a very lively presentation by one of the rangers, alongside a life size mock up of the Wright Flyer.

The actual flights (there were 4) are marked by stones indicating takeoff and landing, photo alongside taken from the top of the hill that contains the memorial

All in all, a very pleasant and interesting side trip.

In leaving Kittihawk, we started by going along the road immediately by the ocean - or as immediate as could be given the amazing rentals scattered amongst the dunes. I think this may be close to heaven on earth for Carol - wake up every morning to see the ocean and not having to share your living space with anybody else (except me!) Hate to think what the rental costs would be! (Actually, just looked online and 1 bedroom places, when available, are around $600 per week)

Then it was time to hit the interstate and head for our next port of call - Parkside Resort on Merrimac Trail in Williamsburg. A fairly uneventful journey found us checking in at around 5 pm to this resort that seems to have just been dropped by the side of the road. It's about 6 miles out of Williamsburg, directly across the railway tracks (active for freight) from Busch Gardens. Nice welcome with a little twist - if we went to a presentation from the timeshare developer (Blue Green). we could get two 2-day passes to Colonial Williamsburg for free - usual cost $92. Why not we thought? See tomorrow's entry for more detail.

The accommodation here was a significant improvement on Virginia Beach (if you ignored the lack of an ocean view). Proper full size kitchen, lounge, bedroom and ensuite - even our own washer/dryer set up. Comfortable.

First things first - get food and beer!Off to Farm Fresh we went. Then, whilst deciding where to go for dinner, those immortal words - "I'd quite like to stay in". So, bacon and egg it was! Washed down with several bottles of Sam Adams Boston lager! Heaven!

And so to bed.

Day 6 - Friday 20th May

Today was Norfolk Day - the main ambition being to enjoy the Naval Harbor Cruise on board the Victory Rover. We arrived in Norfolk just after 10 am but decided we’d travel on the 2 pm sailing (the feminine logic being that we’d be ready for a sit down by then!). To be sure, we bought our tickets then set off to look at the historic centre of Norfolk – or Freemason Street.

It never ceases to amaze me the youthfulness of America – any building over 100 years old is on the National Register of Historic something-or-other! Still, they do preserve them and show them off well with lots of explanatory boards along the way.

It was then time to venture into the Macarthur Center for a coffee – if you look at a map of Norfolk, there is this huge city centre blob - that’s the Macarthur Center. Just a huge mall really but they did sell coffee!

However, whilst there, Carol saw mention of the Chrysler Museum and thought “that would be nice” – we had about 90 minutes before our boat trip so obviously there was plenty of time to walk there, look at some exhibits , have lunch, then get to the boat. We even paid extra so we could look at a couple of special exhibits – Tissot’s Life of Christ (never heard of him but, based on this, should have) and some Tiffany glass. Glad we did it but wish we’d started 2 hours earlier!

A route march then ensued which saw us reach the Victory Rover with some 10 minutes to spare (what’s the problem, I hear you say). We took our seats on the top deck and then watched spellbound as we saw a small but oh-so-significant bunch of US Navy vessels in what is reputed to be the largest naval base in the world. Mighty impressive, it must be said.

Then back to Virginia Beach for beers at Abbey Road followed by home cooked pork chops and sautéed potatoes.

Day 5 - Thursday 19th May

There are a few attractions around Virginia Beach that we wanted to check out so that was today's mission. Starting with Cape Henry which included First Landing - the place where, reputedly, the first English settlers landed on the continent of America.

This is on a military base (this appears to be the case with loads of the land in this part of the world) so we first had to pass through security. Mmmmh, I'm not sure I'd rely on this to keep me safe - they expressed astonishment at a UK driving licence ( photo ID required, we already knew) then made us open every openable part of the car (boot, bonnet, glove compartment, you get the idea). A mirror was wheeled around under the car and I was asked how I liked the VW - then we were in with strict instructions on how far we could go and what we could and could not photograph.

Well, we reached the lighthouses, parked and then wandered around for a while looking at various interesting things (including First Landing) then headed for the Beach. Having parked up back at the resort, we sauntered a couple of blocks up the boardwalk to the Old Coastguard Station. We’d wandered past it a few times and kept saying “we must go in” So here we were.

We paid our money (not much) and were handed over to one of the volunteers to be shown round the first floor. Well, Carol reckoned she understood 1 word in 3, I think she was showing off – I got maybe 1 word in 6 or 7! Even an American inside said he didn’t understand much! The museum was quaint and, in its limited way, quite interesting. A highlight was the Lifeboat Tea on sale- with 7p of every purchase going to the RNLI – generous these Americans!

Then it was people watching time – we sat on one of the many benches on the boardwalk and read our books. Until we could no longer resist the lure of the 11^th Street Taphouse! After 3 pints, we then proceeded to break with tradition and cook in our apartment – pasta and sauce with basil and salad. Cordon Bleu it wasn’t!