Upon arriving in Williamsburg, we visited to Visitor?s Center to get our bearings and to purchase two Freedom Passes. A Freedom Pass provides admission to the tours, museums, and buses for a year. At just under $60 a piece, they were a great deal. Before leaving, we saw the movie “The Story of a Patriot”. While very old it gave us a great feel for the conflict some felt over the decision to revolt against England.

For the first of our two trips into town, we took the bus to the Capitol, on the far end of Duke of Gloucester Street. First we took a tour of Bassett Hall, former residence of the Rockerfellers. The Rockerfeller family played a huge role in getting Williamsburg restored, and they donated their home in the 1980s to the town. This stop was mostly for Richelle, I gotta admit, but I was surprised at how intimate the place felt. Comfy. The tour guide made sure to tell us how this was the Rockerfellers favorite house. Here they could be like normal folk. Talking to neighbors and walking to church.

Next stop was the gunsmith where there were craftsmen making weaponry as they would two hundred years ago.

A short walk from there was the Capitol. The building?s architecture was specifically designed to accommodate the Royal (the Governor?s Council), and the people?s (the House of Burgesses) branches of government, with a meeting area, between them. When that relationship broke down, when Boston was being threatened, it is here that Patrick Henry (“give me liberty or give me death”), Thomas Jefferson, and others were moved to encourage all to the fight. Did you know that if you were a Catholic, or a Jew, a Black or Woman, you couldn?t serve in the House of Burgesses? In fact, you had to be a White, Protestant, land owner.

Our last historic stop of the day was the Public Gaol – the jail. We learned how jailers lived and had a chance to see a few cells.

For a late lunch we hit Shields tavern. For under $50 we had a very romantic, and filling lunch. The pot roast was great. I mean great!

We finished off our day seeing the Fife and Drums team do a demonstration and then a march down The Palace Green. A big highlight for me. They were powerful. As they marched, I couldn?t help but feel a strange sense of history as everyone in attendance instinctively followed behind them.

More tomorrow…

I surprised Richelle with a week’s vacation to Colonial Williamsburg for her 30th birthday. We haven?t taken a week vacation since our honeymoon, five years ago, and we were due for some time away from it all. Williamsburg fit the bill. I don’t think it could have turned out nicer.

The historic area was a short walk away from where we were staying, the Williamsburg Hospitality House. We had one of their standard rooms, and except for the lack of a high-speed data port, which was a good thing, it was just about perfect for its affordable price. The place had an old world feel to it, which lent itself to the experience. We had three days of bad weather, so the room was definitely “lived in” by the time we left. The Hospitality House did not let us down. We’ll probably be back next time.

I haven?t been to the historical sites in Philadelphia for a while (we’re planning to soon), but the time here made me jealous. The organization behind Colonial Williamsburg truly has built a living museum. No cars are permitted into historical area, which was the first thing that struck me, but upon walking onto its main thoroughfare, Duke of Gloucester Street, it made perfect sense. We saw visiting families sitting on benches, relaxing from their exploring, kids from various school groups goofing off or just hanging out, students from the College of William and Mary jogging or playing ball on the Palace Green, while others were waiting in line for a lunch at one its historical taverns. It was alive. A real public space. And I think that was partially due to the lack of cars.

Richelle came up with an excellent plan to divide up our exploration. There is a bus that runs on the outskirts of the historic area that we used to ride to the far ends of town, and then leisurely walked back towards our hotel, taking in various tours and sights. Leisurely is the word. How strange it was not to be bombarded with the sights and sounds of modern life! I think I had some kind of internet withdrawal at first, but then came to appreciate just how natural paced everything seemed to be. Even with the thousands of people that were there with us, on those same streets, it felt intimate and warm.

I’ll post more tomorrow….