The South is full of history, but Virginia is where it all started. Let’s talk about the beach first. We stayed in Virginia Beach for a couple of days knowing that it might be our last chance to bask in the sun and play in the water. The volleyball courts were so nice there we couldn’t resist trying to play despite the fact that we only had three people. If you know anyone who wants to join us on the bus, please let us know. After the beach we walked on the boardwalk for a while. It’s supposedly one of the best in America, but I didn’t see what all the hype was about. I think it’s because I’m comparing it to Venice, my favorite boardwalk of all time. We saw another lighthouse and Ashley bought a pair of shoes and that’s all we did in Virginia Beach.
Now everybody pay close attention to what I’m about to tell you to learn how you were given the opportunity to live in America, land of the free, home of the brave. Our first stop was Jamestown, the first English settlement in the new world established 400 years ago. I’m sure you’ve all heard the story of John Smith and Pocahontas, it all happened in Jamestown. We saw statues of John and Pocahontas as well as artifacts from the original fort. I kind of feel bad for the Indians who didn’t believe in owning land since the English came over and claimed whatever land they wanted to because they had guns and the Indians had spears and bow and arrows. Next up was Yorktown where the last battle of the revolution took place. Over 200 years ago, a guy by the name of General George Washington led a group of red tag soldiers in a siege on General Cornwallis’ last stronghold in the new world. If Washington failed, you would be living on British soil. With a little help from General Rochambeau of the French army, we dominated and Cornwallis gave up in the Moore house which we got to go inside in Yorktown. We also saw the battlefield where it all went down. Pretty much any where there was a gap in trees large enough to fit all the soldiers that were fighting, a battle took place. Last stop on the historic triangle was Colonial Williamsburg. It was like a historic amusement park where people dressed up in goofy clothes and portrayed life in the 1800’s in the colonial world. It was pretty interesting to see old world life, but the ice cream I ordered tasted very similar to modern day ice cream. They had a bunch of reenactments of blacksmiths, newspaper pressing and so on, but we didn’t get to see those because we didn’t pay the ridiculously overpriced entrance fee.
Are you falling asleep yet? I hope not because your boss probably doesn’t appreciate sleeping on the job. Two more historic stops in Virginia: Appomattox and Monticello. After a two hour drive through the Virginia countryside, we came upon a small group of buildings known as Appomattox. Switchback to the Civil War which started in Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, well it all ended in Appomattox. We toured the McLean house which is where General Lee of the Confederates surrendered to General Grant of the Union reuniting the states. The McLean house is to the Civil War as the Moore house is to the American Revolution. Write that down, it might be on your next history quiz. Last stop was Monticello aka Thomas Jefferson’s estate. He had a lovely place high on a mountain that took him 40 years and several remodels to make. He designed it himself. He was a pretty smart guy. You might know him better as the writer of the Declaration of Independence and as our third president. Not quite as cool as George, but he did his part in founding our country. Our next stop will be Washington DC.
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