My Virginia Journal
18 Jun, 2016
Good morning and welcome!
Our travels have brought
us all around the "lower 48". We've tried to zip zag, circle through,
and around every state we could. Florida was where this endeavor started.
Enjoy your journal.
Thank you for taking this
wonderful journey with us. It has been absolutely incredible.
Photographs are available
on the Pambling Roads Blog for the different states that we've written about. Please keep in mind that some museums don’t allow
photography.
Pambling Roads−My
Virginia Journal
Virginia, here we come!
We decided we wanted to
end our trip in D.C. and head to Virginia with a visit to the Arlington
National Cemetery, the memorials, and monuments.
It was 104 degrees that
day and about half way up the hill, I had to rest. It was humid, and no matter
how much water I was drinking…it was rough. Knowing that I had a hard time
walking due to prior injuries from an automobile accident, my husband asked if
I wanted to turn back.
I refused.
About three-quarters of
the way up, my legs felt heavy, I was exhausted from the heat, and too much
walking for someone my age, who isn’t used to this type of exertion.
Again, my husband asked
if I wanted to turn back.
I looked at him and
pointed to the graves. “If they can die for my country, for my freedom, I’m
going to watch the Changing of the Guard if I have to crawl there.”
Yes, I made it. (And no,
I didn’t have to crawl.)
We watched the Changing
of the Guard. It was a breathtaking honor, awe inspiring, and humbling.
Jamestown, Virginia
We were very excited
about visiting Jamestown, the ultimate visit, and the need to see where it all
began−the “beginning of history” of the United States.
Jamestown:
This was one of the best
living museums we’ve ever come across. Their indoor education museum was
absolutely fascinating. It had a great gift shop. There were plenty of
employees to assist you, and you didn’t feel as if you were being followed by
store clerks, or an unwelcome interruption.
The Jamestown camp and
the Native American camp had period dressed employees who took the time to
explain their area, pleasant instructional conversations, and were more than
willing to answer any questions we posed.
The ships on display
allowed tours where you could see how things were built and how the settlers
traveled and sailed across the vast Atlantic Ocean to the New World. It amazed
us that so many people were on such small ships.
The sailors and mates
were entertaining, adding tidbits of fascinating information. They told stories
of how they traveled across the ocean, encountered hurricanes, disease, and
storms, surviving a long hard journey–holding on to hope to reach a new
beginning.
Yorktown Victory Center
A wonderful museum
focusing on the American Revolution. There was a Continental Army Encampment
along with a homestead that showed how they lived during the late 1700’s. If
you’re interested in these types of things, stop by the Yorktown Battlefield.
Also, the Nelson House on
Main St. in the historical district of Yorktown. Thomas Nelson was one of the
signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Williamsburg
Williamsburg was
frustrating. Our goal: The Governor’s Palace, the Capitol Building and the
Charlton’s Coffeehouse
Downtown Historical
Williamsburg was a tourist trap. There was a small area where you can go into
shops otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend spending your time there.
We walked around the
streets looking for signs trying to find the Governor’s Palace. Now, we
understand that it was privately owned, and weren’t expecting a tour. However,
it would’ve been nice to find it, and at least admire the architecture.
We couldn’t find it and
an uninterested finger pointed in the general direction by an employee of one
of the shops didn’t help.
Next, we tried to find
the Capitol Building and the coffee house. We looked around for about a half
hour, not wanting to ask anyone because of the rudeness we’d already
experienced.
By then, it was about
4:00 pm and we decided that if the coffee house had food we’d most likely eat
there as well. As we started walking down the correct street (or what we
believed was the correct street), there were signs posted that directed us to
purchase tickets. Not understanding what tickets they were referring to, we
walked back to a shop that appeared to promote tours. It was indeed the correct
ticket office.
My husband inquired about
purchasing tickets to see the Capitol Building and the coffee house, or if
there were entrance fees. We were told no, they don’t sell tickets for the
Capitol Building. She handed him a pamphlet that said we could purchase a
one-day pass for $40 a person.
We explained that we
weren’t interested in a one-day pass and was just interested in the Capitol
Building. She pursed her lips and explained with a very tight-lipped attitude
that she didn’t have control of the prices.
Fed up with her attitude
toward my husband (who, FYI, is extremely even-tempered) I interrupted, asking
if she was really serious about charging $40 a person to see one building, and
visit a coffee shop. She nodded her head yes, and said that the street we were
walking down had private residences.
I repeated myself,
explaining that we didn’t want to tour private homes, we just wanted to tour
the Capitol Building. She pointed to the pamphlet.
We walked away.
Neither one of us we
going to spend $80 to walk down a street because there were private homes, or
to look at a building, and drink coffee in a renovated coffee shop.
We started walking back
to our vehicle fuming at the audacity of a town to charge people to walk down a
street, and the rudeness of the lady at the ticket center.
Heading in the direction
of William and Mary, we saw a large building where people were walking around
the grounds. Curious, we headed toward the entrance.
I, trying to shake away
the anger, didn’t want to go in and inquire to see if it was open to the public
or if it was part of William and Mary. It was an art museum, and open to the
public.
DeWitt Wallace Decorative
Arts Museum
The Art Museums of
Colonial Williamsburg had a huge exhibition and absolutely gorgeous. The
gentleman at the entrance was a treasure, extremely refreshing after
encountering the woman at the ticket center.
The two and a half hours
we were there just wasn’t enough. We could’ve made a day of it. The Abby
Aldrich Rockefeller section was filled with Folk Art.
The lower level had a
very large collection of money, farthings, and medals from the Colonial
Williamsburg collection.
There was even an
18th century fire engine! Furniture−fashion−maps−paintings, silver and
firearms! We were fascinated.
One of the employees at
the museum told us about Bassett Hall, built in the late 1700’s and owned by
John D and Abby Rockefeller in the early 20th century.
While I was making a
purchase at the gift shop, I asked about Bassett Hall. The lady working was considerate
and informative.
Bassett Hall
A fascinating history and
tour awaited at Bassett Hall. It had been beautifully restored. As we toured, I
could almost feel exactly how the residents felt living on such a beautiful
piece of land. The employees were welcoming, pleasant, happy, and didn’t rush
you through the tour.
Overall, we wouldn’t
recommend touring Williamsburg, Virginia. Honestly, on this trip traveling
through the Eastern United States, I’ve told more people than I can count to
stay away from Williamsburg, to avoid Williamsburg at all costs!
The people we encountered
in the area had an attitude and were very rude. We felt very unwelcome, as if
we were inconveniencing them by being there. We won’t go back and we’ll
continue to tell people about our horrid experience.
However, if you are in
the area, we highly recommend, Jamestown, Yorktown, and the newly found
Jamestowne, (which we didn’t tour but it was highly recommended). It was
absolutely wonderful and we made a point to tell people how great it
was!
If you decide to travel
to Williamsburg and/or are near downtown, historic Williamsburg,
please stop by the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and Bassett Hall, both
located on Francis St. They were well worth the trip.
Thank you very much for
spending time with us.
Check out: My
Virginia Journal You can purchase it on Amazon or at your favorite
bookstore.
*Images are not in the
print travel journals. I originally had them as Ebooks, but it didn't really
help anyone who was purchasing a journal.
There are blank pages in
the print book for you to paste pictures, sketch, or draw.
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