October 8, 2012 -- Jamestown & Yorktown, Virginia

There are three parts to the videos in today's blog below.

More rain came our way, but we trudged through it. It wasn't too bad in the morning as we visited Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. The James River was quite lovely, but the sky gave a very overcast and slightly ominous feel to the place. It seems they really liked the pointed column monuments in this area. We made sure to shake hands with Pocahontas for luck and even got to listen to "John Smith" talk about those early days in America. After a quick bite to eat and some ginger ale at their cafe, we went through their museum.



We then headed over to Jamestown's hot glass facility, which was very cool to see. It wasn't quite the full authentic colonial way, but things haven't changed too much. After seeing the artisan make a vase, we then went back to the resort for lunch and for me to get some much needed work done.



After a short nap, Kent was ready to take us to Yorktown. We got there just as the visitor's center was closing, but were able to get a map, as the Yorktown battle sites, even in good weather, are apparently more a driving tour. The town is most famous as the site of the siege and subsequent surrender of General Cornwallis to General George Washington, and the French Fleet during the American Revolutionary War on October 19, 1781. Although the war would last for another year, this British defeat at Yorktown effectively ended the war that most Americans don't know about. Years ago I went to Denmark and visited a Viking battle site and felt rather unnerved. I felt even more so at Yorktown, probably due to both Revolutionary and Civil War sites in many of the same locations. After finishing our tour, we went over to the Riverwalk area, but as it is October and a bit past season, only Ben & Jerry's were (thankfully) open. We got free close parking and were able to get Green Mountain Coffee and in-store only ice cream and sorbets. There was a bit of a beach in Yorktown, but sadly it was not beach weather (just like last year in Scotland).