Good to be Back!
Howdy, howdy, howdy!! It’s good to be back in the blogging community. Fresh with tales of travel and adventure! I think I will take us from back to front, starting with a new Christmas trip we made to the lovely state of Virginia. So, without further adieu, let’s get into it!
Anyone, at all, on any level, who is into history should go to Colonial Williamsburg in the great state of Virginia. There are folks that walk around in period dress and they will carry on as if they were still in that time. Some will even talk in British accents. If you engage them, then it will be a flurry of information from that time period that they will give you on how people lived, how they might prosper or how they could shake of their British yokes.
One could even partake in a carriage ride around the streets of Colonial WIlliamsburg. Many of the homes, and there are a lot, are still standing from that era. Some have been turned into shops, some selling items that smack of that era, although with more modern packaging. Even toys that kids back then might have played with back then could be purchased. Inns are actually still inns and you can rent rooms if you like. There is even a restaurant, that requires reservations well, weeks possibly months, in advance and they serve traditional meals from that time period, in/on traditional plates, bowls and mugs. Even the utensils are the same. We, while there, could not get a reservation to save our lives. We look forward to going again!
We were visiting family while there and we all took a ghost tour in Colonial Williamsburg. To say it was interesting, well, I guess it depends on who your guide is and how tightly they have their act wired. Our guide did not and it was a bit boring and not that fascinating. I started taking photos, instead of listening to the act, and gave some shots an eerie effect during post-processing. Hopefully, if we do this again, we’ll be more entertained.
I think I actually prefer to shoot this town at night. I love the tones of the lights they use on the streets and in the homes and establishments. There is even a section of street where they have actual fire going from these cast iron posts that have a reasonably ornate, cauldron type holder on top of it so that firewood could be placed inside and lit, to light the street that they line. Also, for chillier nights, they could provide some warmth to those passing by.
There are other towns like Colonial WIlliamsburg, just a stones throw away that are equal, if not more so, in their history and battles fought. You have George Washington’s home, Arlington National Cemetery, the Jamestown Settlement, the Yorktown Battlefield, Fredericksburg, Manassas Nat’l Battlefield Park and a whole bunch more. If you’re looking for an all day history lesson, you could go to Colonial Williamsburg and then visit the Jamestown Settlement in the same day. They’re literally 15 minutes apart from one another. You get more bang for your buck, it’s all free people, with touring the Jamestown Settlement. Starting in the morning, in Colonial Williamsburg and ending in the late afternoon at the Jamestown Settlement is an ideal day of taking in a bunch of history on how our nation was formed.
Most everything, including more modern type stores, is made to look historic. Coffee shops, the outside anyway, look rustic in Colonial Williamsburg. Christmas brings carolers, dressed in period clothing, out to the masses to hear carols from a bygone era. Really, the only thing missing from this shot is snow. There were street musicians, playing trombones, electric violin, guitar and, they even had a Fife and Drum pair dressed in, Red Coat, period wear from back in the day. It was all fantastic! Just the whole vibe of atmosphere, food, drink and the loads of those who partake in period costumes, acting like it’s the 1700s, well, it’s a good time to be had for sure!
Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! And, I hope that some of you have made a New Years resolution to travel more. There’s so much to learn about and enjoy! History resounds on the East Coast of the U.S. From the state of Maine to as far south as you want to go. If you’re into history then you’ll lose your mind in that region. Go out and do and be, see everything that you can! Have fun with your travels, get to know the world a bit. Until the next time, be good to yourselves and each other and remember, always take the road less traveled. See ya!
