Monday
I was up in good time, to a beautiful sunny day although very cool. We headed off just after 9 am to the south initially, then east then south again. Along the way we saw many signs pointing to battle sites etc and travelled past a sign to Stonewall Jackson's HQ.
We used the restroom first and as they were singles I used the men's room, lol. But, sad to say, their espresso machine was not working, 
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However, as we left, Cheryl spotted a Panera across the other side of the road and the intersection was controlled by traffic lights. So I got my coffee but the exit was not clear, one loop round the block later and we found the way out, lol!
We continued on the drive to Williamsburg, it is quite a boring drive on the Interstate, passing through mostly wooded country.
The person at reception was not the most helpful out and would not even contact housekeeping to see if the rooms would be ready before 4 pm. She told us that housekeeping was a different department, lol!! Again, I used the me's restroom before we left!
We headed out to find some lunch and parked by Merchants Square. We tried a couple of places but the minimum waiting time was half an hour. We went to the Cheese Shop and ordered sandwiches which did not take as long.
While waiting I spoke to a couple of people and they were from North London on a tour of eastern USA, Savannah, Alabama, South and North Carolina, here and then onto Washington and New York. We had a nice chat and it helped the waiting time to pass quickly.
After lunch I found a shop I was looking for and then we wandered back to the car. I left some gear and put my backpack on my back as I was off to explore. Dan and Cheryl were making their own way and would check into the motel. I popped into the
I was up in good time, to a beautiful sunny day although very cool. We headed off just after 9 am to the south initially, then east then south again. Along the way we saw many signs pointing to battle sites etc and travelled past a sign to Stonewall Jackson's HQ.
It was a good trip with some pleasant scenery initially. The further south we travelled the warmer the weather was becoming.
We were looking for a restroom hopeful one with coffee! A Dunkin Doughnuts appeared ahead so we turned off the road.
We used the restroom first and as they were singles I used the men's room, lol. But, sad to say, their espresso machine was not working, 
However, as we left, Cheryl spotted a Panera across the other side of the road and the intersection was controlled by traffic lights. So I got my coffee but the exit was not clear, one loop round the block later and we found the way out, lol!
We continued on the drive to Williamsburg, it is quite a boring drive on the Interstate, passing through mostly wooded country. 
We arrived about 1 pm and drove round to the Center and collected the tickets, we have a lanyard with our pass to most of the buildings. We then went on to the motel.
The person at reception was not the most helpful out and would not even contact housekeeping to see if the rooms would be ready before 4 pm. She told us that housekeeping was a different department, lol!! Again, I used the me's restroom before we left!
We headed out to find some lunch and parked by Merchants Square. We tried a couple of places but the minimum waiting time was half an hour. We went to the Cheese Shop and ordered sandwiches which did not take as long. 
While waiting I spoke to a couple of people and they were from North London on a tour of eastern USA, Savannah, Alabama, South and North Carolina, here and then onto Washington and New York. We had a nice chat and it helped the waiting time to pass quickly.
After lunch I found a shop I was looking for and then we wandered back to the car. I left some gear and put my backpack on my back as I was off to explore. Dan and Cheryl were making their own way and would check into the motel. I popped into the
Barnes and Noble bookshop which had a Starbucks upstairs. I grabbed a latte and then headed towards the Governors Palace. I took some photos of some of the lovely buildings plus some random animals, lol. They place their garbage bins inside barrels and I even found one with a drinking fountain inside!
The Palace itself was rather imposing from the Palace Green approach and quite a few people were moving towards it. There were quite a few people in period dress but they all spoke every day English. The entrance hall was quite crowded but the people soon spread out. There were muskets and swords by the dozen hung on the was of the entrance hall. Every room seems to have a couple on the wall, these were there as a sign of strength.
We walked through the ballroom to the supper room which is where Lord D and his family fled their home. They would have passed through the garden which is just showing some colour. There were fireplaces of a sort in the rooms and these were coal fired not wood fired. Lord Dunmore owned a coal mine in Scotland and was quite happy to use the Kings coin to bring it over to heat his home! There were ordinary fireplaces and these were boarded up in the summer to stop animals and birds coming down.
We then went upstairs and passed from the hallway, through the girl's room, a guest room and finally the master bedroom. The family room was between the latter two rooms and is where they congregated together.
Back outside and I saw one of the horse drawn carriages. I then started the walk on to the motel. I passed the wheel wrights shop and took a couple of photos. I walked on, taking a few photos, and almost reached the motel when a goods train went across the road, it took a good three or four minutes to pass by.
We went out to a Cracker Barrel for tea, I had the Shrimp plate, very tasty. A glorious day coming to an end, the weather was absolutely stunning, clear blue skies with lots of sun and much warmer in Williamsburg. We played a few rounds of cribbage before retiring to bed.
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