No blog post yesterday as we were busy having fun.
It was my goddaughter's birthday in the week and so she and her husband came down to us for the weekend to celebrate. We don't get to see them as much as I would like as it is a long way from Manchester so it was wonderful to see them and, in spite of the weather beeing rubbish, we had a lovely time. We had breakfast out at their hotel which was a real treat, we drove the Jurassic coast; at least we believe it was there, you just couldn't see it much through the infernal =drizzle and mist. We had a lovely bit of retail therapy int he Christmas shop at Poundbury and much laughing, playing games and the odd drink was enjoyed. It was just so lovely to see them both. They dropped the girls off at bossy nanny's on the way so we just had a very relaxed time.
No scrapping either as we were busy, but I am sure I can fill the gaps in visuals with yet more holiday reports.
Today I am thankful for
- my god-daughter. She is one of the real blessings in my life. Love her to bits
Tuesday 23rd October
The One Where We Were Well-Educated and a Boy Celebrated His Birthday
We had the luxury of a lie in today ... the alarm wasn’t set until 6.30... luxury. And a good day for that lie in too – it was Nigel’s birthday.
Nigel was able to celebrate his first American birthday with flat presents ... it made packing so much easier to take photos of the gifts and wrap them. It was fun to be celebrating so far from home. We had a lovely breakfast ... cinnamon waffles today as I am becoming quite an expert with the waffle makers … and then we headed off for the I mile trip to Colonial Williamsburg. The visitor centre was only just open and it was amazing ... my goodness Americans know how to do things properly and they have the space to do it too. It was a hugely impressive building and boded well for what we were going to see. We were almost first in line for tickets ... long story ... and we got a good discount (did I mention we are savvy shoppers) and headed off into the historic town.
I am not sure how to describe it really, although it was exactly as I imagined it. Think part Beamish, part a stately home, partly a theme park, some of it genuine, some of its reconstruction. All of it very very impressive. The heritage guides, all in costume and more importantly in character, were brilliant throughout the town. They were carefully attired and so knowledgeable and we enjoyed talking to many of them.
We began with the Governor's palace and started the tour, but to be honest there were other things we wanted to see more. In the UK we have stately homes a plenty and so the inside left us a little cold, so we moved on. Just walking down the streets was beautiful.
The way the weapons were displayed - a status symbol and a symbol of the power of the governor - reminded us very much of Windsor Castle
We loved the map. Our guide explained that the lines of the states were straight at that point and ran all the way to the West Coast.
It was pleasantly warm and there was a cloudless blue sky. Just perfect. We enjoyed going into many of the houses and trade shops and although we didn’t by any means see them all, we enjoyed all of those we visited.
The shop where they were weaving and spinning was fascinating.
We loved seeing all the carriages roaming up and down the streets throughout the day. we didn't do a carriage ride as we felt they were nicer to see than to be on.
The presentation int he barber's shop was excellent and we learned a great deal about slavery and how slaves could be freed. The man presenting that was very good.
I loved the printers and it was amazing to see how tiny the letters were and each was set in place often taking more than 7 hours to set a newspaper page.
Everywhere was so beautiful and clean and there were some original buildings too, although many were reconstructions. I think one of the guides told us there were over 300 buildings and 88 were original.
It was in some ways smaller than we had expected and so we did feel we had done the right thing just having one day, although if you saw all the enactments and shows and did all the tours you would need a great deal longer. We were quite selective with what we did but felt we got a good flavour and the walking we did was more than enough at almost 7 miles.
There were so many guides, all in costume and all so very very knowledgeable about the whole site and about their own specialist area. It was fascinating to see them and to talk to them.
We did the tour of the Capitol building which was very good and we learnt a great deal about how the colonies separated from Britain. It was a period of history that we did not know a great deal about and so it was good to learn more. And the learning was in such a way as to be really entertaining and interesting. This was proving to be quite a historic trip with all we learned at Concord and now taking hat a step further.
I became a member of the magistrates on the bench and Nigel was a juror. We learned a great deal about the justice system and what punishments were given.
This was the courtroom
and the governor's council chamber
We then felt we earned a break for lunch before the afternoon activities which were largely entertainments. The restaurant we selected was full and they could not guarantee we could be served before our 1.50 show and so we opted for what we felt was second best and the bakery. However, it turned out to be one of our favourite meals. Nigel went off to buy goodies whilst I sat as I was struggling with my knee. Several failed what’s app calls meant he just surprised me ... and it was fabulous. He had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich ... how had we, who love America so much, never had this unique delicacy? I had a lovely selection of fresh fruit ... grapes, melon, pineapple and strawberry yoghurt. Add two gingerbread cookies, a bottle of water and a bottle of ginger beer (it was like being straight out of the Famous Five) and we were set. We sat on a bench in the sunshine, eating and taking in the whole atmosphere of Williamsburg, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It seemed to be a very quiet day – there were not crowds of people and I am sure we were able to do more because it was so quiet.
We then headed back to the Capitol to see Resolve. We were not sure what we were going to see, but it proved to be amazing. It told the story of the first to the fifth Virginia conventions. The actors were superb and we really felt that we learnt a great deal. It was at the same time very funny, very interactive and very moving, so much so that it brought tears to our eyes. It went through how the first Virginia convention was in response to and support of the Bostonians over the tea and the governor was so cross he sent the Burgesses away, dissolving their court. The Burgesses were undaunted and met anyway in the tavern. At one point we were in the general court and 6 people were chosen to read out acts of parliament issued by the British Government to raise money after the French Indian wars which made life very hard for the people in the colonies in order to generate money for the British. We were told if we wanted to we could fake an English accent when we read our law out. Three people read theirs out before my turn. I just read it normally but earned a round of applause for my British accent. I don’t think they realized we were Brits … possibly just as well given the circumstances! By the fifth convention, they wrote their constitution which then went to Philadelphia and helped form the basis of the US constitution. It made the point that everyone had the chance to vote to providing they were white, male, over 21, free, Protestant landowners with no mortgage. The part in the council chamber where only 6 sat at the table and everyone else was disenfranchised was made very poignant by the lady playing a black slave. We had all been given cards as we entered stating who we were and what we were. I was a black slave, Nigel was a poor white woman. We all lined up around the council chamber and then the Governor said that six people had cards telling them they were eligible for a place at the table. 6 could sit and vote and the remaining 100 of us were not allowed a say. The black slave came in and said ‘I was not in this room and neither were any of you.’ We were all disenfranchised for one reason or another. They wrote the words into the Virginia constitution .... ‘That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.’ Those words ‘enter into the state of society’ was key ... not all were considered to have entered into society. Therefore the constitution and its rights did not apply to them. It was very powerfully shown. It was a terrific way to be entertained, moved and educated.
We couldn't take photos during the presentation but there were plenty of other things to see and enjoy including the general store.
We then took the bus back to the Theatre near the governor's house to hear the Thomas Jefferson presentation. It was very busy, but we were really lucky to get a front row seat which meant Jefferson, and we were in no doubt it really was Jefferson himself, shook Nigel’s hand and kissed mine. He was amazing, speaking for three-quarters of an hour in character totally and even answering questions. He had now cue cards, no prompts, so we assumed he really was Jefferson. How he remembered it all, delivered it ins character we have no idea. It was again enlightening, educational and entertaining.
We walked back to the centre, watched the guns being fired
and the fife and muskets before catching the bus back to the visitor centre.It had been a good day and whilst there was more we could have done, we felt we had done the bits we wanted and had thoroughly enjoyed it.
And on an aside - they have lots of evening activities which are an extra charge and one of them is a haunted Williamsburg and there was evidence around of this Halloween activity. Too bizarre not to share.
I drove, with fear, to TGI Friday for Nigel’s birthday meal. I think there was every type of restaurant in the area but this was what he had chosen for his birthday meal. We used to eat at TGI all the time but haven’t eaten there for some two or more years.
The meal was l was lovely, but small and expensive by our standards and served by Mr zero Personality. We did enjoy a cocktail each though. Nigel always always has pina colada ... terribly sweet ... and I had a whisky based one served in a tin cup again. It really is unusual for us as we rarely drink these days. I guess that is why it is such a treat. We returned to the hotel, shattered and yet again had an early night.
Tuesday 23rd October
Today is my Birthday. It’s the first time I have celebrated on a road trip so it will be a novelty. Karen has had several birthdays within our vacations as hers falls in July the month we would nearly always choose when she was working as it fell at the start of School holidays.
This morning begins with ‘flat’ presents! Karen has carefully selected a few birthday gifts that will travel well. They include a couple of books that will be entertaining while at Disneyworld but, more importantly, she has taken photos of the larger, less practical, ones and printed them off so they can be presented in envelopes to be ‘unwrapped’.
There are, among these, vouchers (that she made herself) to be redeemed for dinner tonight and for a souvenir T-shirt from the hard Rock Café at Myrtle Beach tomorrow night.
We like ‘flat’ presents!
Our breakfast this morning is the usual buffet style, help yourself affair that we are quite used to. With so many different hotels it soon becomes a little challenge to find all the right ingredients with which to build your own personal feast.
I have grown to like the cereal, regularly found at most places. As usual, one needs to look in each container to see which ones contain treasure and which ones contain something rather horrid, such as grits in Florida.
The beauty of America is that almost all the time there is treasure! Today’s offering provides a new treat. A large cooking pot with a flame beneath is holding the most gorgeous, warm, apple cinnamon sauce. I apply a liberal helping to my cereal filled bowl and enjoy it as a starter before the heavy duty, scrambled egg, sausage and crisp bacon.
We have a little more time this morning although we know that, with so much to see at the Colonial Williamsburg site, we need to make the best use of time and arrive good and early as the parking lot is apparently far enough from the attractions that a courtesy bus ride is needed to get to them.
We are indeed one of the first to arrive with around a half hour to wait before opening so we wait in the car. Once others start arriving we make our way to the ticket centre which is actually very close by.
This is where the experience could become quite overwhelming. There is an almost sensory overload as you descend a few steps into the magnificent reception area. It is enough to almost take your breath away. Filled with murals and posters, it affirms the fact that this is a place of great significance and demands respect. It also reinforces the impression that we had already formed, that we could not possibly see all of it in a single day.
Then there is the model. Encased in a massive glass display, the is the miniature representation of the settlement and all the attractions. I am studying the lie of the land and I can see that there is masses of open space within the complex and the walk to each building will be quite an undertaking. It is simply HUGE!
As before, in Jamestown there are all manner of ticket options and combinations to choose from. There are multiple ticket desks (as yet unmanned) and a line is beginning to form in order to just enter the rear of the hall where the business is done. We are second in line and we gaze at the magnificence of the colonial architecture, the mouldings, the cornices, pillars and beams. It shows in the woodwork and polished surfaces and of course the furnishing, all in a grand scale that we would never see in the UK. This is America at its showpiece best!
The place is almost designed to make visitors seem small. It’s as though we have entered the set of the borrowers! In fact, it’s easy to see where Disney gets a lot of its inspiration from, maybe there is a visual cue that tells our brains that we are in a ‘theme park’ as that would be a place where this might seem so familiar to us!
Although second in line, we are actually the first to complete a ticket purchase, which includes one of the interpretive live presentations that comes highly recommended, and we are quickly on our way to be first on the courtesy bus.
We are advised to go to the first bus stop and then make our way from there. We heed this and alight at the Governor’s Palace, along with the majority of riders. The bus continues a circular loop of the grounds and we know that we can hop on at any point around the complex.
We are welcomed into the Governor’s Palace and are immediately transported back in time and take a seat in the schoolroom. There are fascinating details including a states map that shows the existing colonies stretching all the way to the west with no end! There follows a short presentation and we are invited into the next room. We realise, at this point, we have unwittingly joined a guided tour of the building and it’s apparently a fifty minute tutorial!
Knowing how much we have to cover today, we politely ask to exit the tour early and head back outside. We had seen a good deal of the inside by this point.
We take a stroll to admire the Palace Green and surroundings and at the intersection with the main thoroughfare we can now appreciate the actual size of the place.
It’s not too bad in reality and although spread out it’s a comfortable walk to reach the far end.
We quickly formulate a plan to see as much as possible and not to miss our allotted ‘show time’ of 13.50pm.
There is much to see and photograph. We visit the church, see a short ‘welcome’ presentation, and take in various houses including the weaver & spinner, print shop, bookbinder, general store, the Geddy house and stay for an excellent interpretive talk with the barber in his shop. We learn from guides that there are over 80 original buildings on this site amongst some 300 in total.
By lunch time we have walked the length of the main road (Duke of Gloucester Street) and arrived at the Capitol. There is time to take the guided tour here and it proves to be an excellent choice showing us the council chambers and the courtroom. There is even a mock trial in which Karen becomes a magistrate for the duration whilst I sit on the jury.
Exiting the Capitol we have about forty minutes before our ticketed show ‘Resolve’ which will be in the same building.
We’ve organized ourselves perfectly and are near to the tavern for lunch but, unfortunately, there is no room at this time, We double back a few yards to the bakery and armed with some goodies we have an impromptu picnic on one of the benches by the side of the road.
I try my first ‘peanut butter and jelly’ sandwich whilst Karen enjoys the much healthier option of fruit and yoghurt. We share water and a ginger ale to wash it down and I have to say the pbj goes down extremely well!
It’s time to return for the show. This turns out to be another trip highlight let alone a feature of the day. The participants are lively and portray a vivid impression of the timeline of Williamsburg and the Virginia convention. It’s an interactive affair and Karen and I get to exercise our very English accents, much to the approval of the cast, as we also have a few lines to say.
The most poignant part of the presentation comes in the council conference room. Here the 100 or so audience members congregate around a table of eight place settings. Each of us is given a card depicting a real person of the time and six are designated as council members. These six may take their place at the table for the debate. There follows a lively mock debate involving two cast members and demonstrating how the Virginia Constitution might have been drawn up. A short time into the debate a black woman is ushered into the room it becomes obvious that she represents the disenfranchised. Skillfully, the play illustrates the fact that whilst there are eight people around the table included in the decision making the remaining ninety or more would not have been heard. They simply were not there. The council members, or Burgesses, as they were called, had to be landowners without mortgage, white, protestant and male. No-one else had a vote. It was a moving realization of the vast divide and I don’t mind admitting that in its delivery, it easily brought a tear to my eye.
This educational presentation, galvanized much of what we had seen earlier into a rounded learning experience for us both. We had discovered much here and it has been thoroughly worthwhile, an experience I would wholeheartedly recommend.
The afternoon is still young however and we make tracks for another presentation, It will take us back to the Governor’s house at the other end of the grounds.
In a small amphitheater we gather to hear an address by Thomas Jefferson, obviously represented by an actor. What a performance. Taking on the look and sound of his subject he holds our attention with a forty minute address and even takes questions while remaining convincingly in character for the entire time. We readily agree that it is like being in the presence of Jefferson himself and we are in awe of the skill it requires to pull it off.
The afternoon ends with a short demonstration of arms and canon fire followed by a parade of the fife and drum corps who march in formation along the main road and onto the courthouse fields.
We snap some final photographs but figure we should aim to beat the crowd if we are to get a seat on the shuttle bus so we make for the bus stop rather than linger.
We are soon back in the van, it is after 6pm and time for my Birthday dinner.
I have chosen TGI Friday tonight as we rarely go there these days so makes for a nice treat. Karen will drive there, this evening, in order to claim ‘points’ for driving in Virginia AND to the TGI and, as we depart Colonial Williamsburg, we can’t help but be struck that the whole feel of the place, both outside and in, as well as even the roads around it are so reminiscent of the environment of Walt Disney World in a rather well sculpted and private nature.
On reflection of the day, it seems highly appropriate that we should spend the day of my birth learning about the birth of a Nation.Events in this very place undoubtedly shaped the writing of the US Constitution which followed heavily in the footsteps of the Virginia Convention.
Happy Birthday.
