It was a
long-time-in-coming anniversary trip.
We
headed east for a little bit of time together,
three days, just the two of
us.
We wanted to go somewhere away from
home, but not too far.
We headed to
Norfolk/Chesapeake.
No need to spend all
the precious time on the road.
Although,
even the interstate is beautiful this time of the year!
One of the
first things to do once we got the hotel, was to figure out
what we were going to
do on this exploration of east Virginia's port cities.
We had pre-planned nothing.
(It’s possible to do this when you don’t have
kids along.)
I gathered up any and all brochures
that looked interesting
from the stand in the hotel lobby.
We marked the things that were the most attractive looking
and then picked our top choices from that selection.
We’re fortunate to have similar top picks
when it comes to sightseeing,
although Nathan appreciates most anything with a
motor,
and I gravitate toward old homes.
Also, at four months pregnant I’ll admit to having an extra fondness for
this sign,
and was on the lookout for it most of the trip.
Oh, my poor husband!
Our hotel
was in Chesapeake, and we decided to spend
the first day in nearby Portsmouth.
I’m pretty sure this is what the roads in the
area look like.
Mostly intertwined cloverleaves. Mind blowing.
Thank God for a GPS!
A map would not have cut it.
Once we had
checked out the visitor’s center in the historic part of Portsmouth,
we decided
to ferry over the Elizabeth River to the Norfolk side
and check out the Battleship,
U.S.S Wisconsin, which was top on our list.
We were obviously “not from around here” as we looked at all the massive
ships
being maintained in the shipyards along the way.
Very cool.
We found the
Wisconsin to be a part of the museum, Nauticus,
and proceeded to spend the rest
of the day there.
The museum was great –
I’d like to take the girls sometime.
But
the Battleship was definitely the highlight.
Exploring all on your own, a retired ship with so much history,
is just
a cool experience.
The ship was sent out for
the first time in 1943 for WWII and retired in 1991.
Nine
16-inch guns that fired shells weighing over one
ton apiece, is nothing small.
You can
see Nathan in a blue shirt, standing below one of them.
Below deck you can look through the kitchens, offices, work areas,
and sleeping quarters all left like they were when the ship docked
for the last time.
The state smell of diesel fuel lingers.
Day two we headed back to
Portsmouth to do what we’d
set out for the day before - just
to see the old town area.
We used a self-guided tour brochure
and walked the streets
just looking at the various
styles of architecture and reading some of the history.
The homes are currently occupied, but
information is available
telling about their past.
One home is open to the
public. The Hill House, is fully
furnished with the collections of one family
over a 190 year period. It’s history looks fascinating!
Unfortunately, it wasn’t open for
tours while we were there.
Maybe next time.
This is an Irish “row house”, the
last of the row
that was settled by Irish immigrants in the
early 1800’s.
Saturday, our last day, turned out to be
blustery and raining,
so we headed home a bit sooner
than we’d hoped.
Still on our list “To Do Next
Time” is:
1. The Great Dismal Swamp (Hiking
was not on my idea of fun,
with the fatigue I’m experiencing
with this pregnancy).
2. Portsmouth’s Naval Shipyard
Museum (closed for renovations)
3. Norfolk Botanical Garden (Pouring
rain is not ideal for a pleasant garden stroll.)
On the way home, the skies
cleared near Richmond,
so we used the trusty GPS to find
a little something to do.
We walked around for a while at the
“Meadow Farm at Crump Park” near
Glen Allen.
It’s a beautiful setting with
living history exhibits, and no fees.
I can’t wait to take the girls there!
As we headed west and homeward, I
realized how much
I missed the woods and
mountains.
There’s just something special
about catching the first glimpse of blue
ahead in the distance of the interstate.
And then it's down the lane and home sweet home!
“I will give
thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
I will sing
the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.”
Psalm 7:17
