October 15, 2016
Today we leave for home. We woke up early so we could catch the free hotel breakfast. Jason and I drove to the main hotel lobby, went down the elevator, and discovered an empty rec room. A woman sat behind a counter and asked if we needed anything. We asked where we should go to find the hotel breakfast. She gave us a sad look and informed us that there would not be a free breakfast today. Apparently we got some incorrect information about the days they do breakfast. We thanked her and decided to just grab breakfast on the way.
After packing and loading up the car, we returned to the hotel lobby to check out. I grabbed a free green apple on the way out. Sadly, the apples was disgusting and I threw it away. Breakfast doesn't seem to like us today. We finally decided to just pop into a gas station for food. We filled up the car with gas, and then Jason filled the tires up with air. Once getting snacks, we headed out. Unfortunately, we were unable to see a median in the parking lot and our tire bumped violently over it. We pulled over and were happy to see that the car was just fine. We then made our way to the open road.
We listened to a little of the audio book "House of Seven Gables" on the way back. Soon, however, we hit a bunch of traffic. We turned off the audio book and listened to music since it was harder to focus. Turns out the hurricane caused a lot of road damage. Therefore, we were required to take numerous detours all the way through North Carolina. It was back roads the whole way. I don't want to know what that interstate looked like.
Once back on the interstate, we texted our friends Jeff and Erin to let them how far away we were from their home. We had previously made plans to have dinner with them on the way back. Finally, we made it! We met them at their home and then went to Duke's BBQ restaurant by their home. It was delicious! Afterward they drove us through downtown and we went to a nearby brew pub for drinks. We sat and talked for a few hours, enjoying the company and the break from driving. Soon it was getting late and we needed to head out. We said goodbye to them at their place and then returned to the road. We got home very late, but it was completely worth it! Our cats clearly missed us and we missed them. What a fun trip!
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Friday, October 14, 2016
Good Day To You!
October 14, 2016
Our last, full day in Colonial Williamsburg. After getting more than enough rest, we readied ourself for the day and for breakfast. We walked through town searching for a new place to eat. The town was busier today. We walked back and forth, unable to decide where to eat and unwilling to wait through many of those long lines. Jason remembered there were shops and restaurants behind the Cheese Shop that we never visited. Soon we found ourselves in front of Season's Cafe. Apparently, the chef here is the same one that cooked for Reagan in the white house. Not a big fan of Reagan, but the chef he picked is apparently pretty good.
Although it was chilly, we decided to eat outside and avoid the lines for inside seating. We ordered an appetizer to start, a delicious apricot and goat cheese Bruschetta:
Jason's Carolina BBQ sandwich (that didn't use mustard...?):
My Turkey Club sandwich:
During lunch, I realized how big of a mistake it was to leave my jacket in the car. The wind was blowing a little too strongly to stay warm. After lunch we headed to a souvenir shop to purchase something to keep me warm. I grabbed a cheap scarf and we picked up a few gifts for loved ones as well. We then made our way through town to continue shopping. We made our way to the Virginia Peanut Shop:
We also popped into the Cheese and Candy shop to purchase far too much fat-producing food. Luckily, we found a basket filled with different kinds of cheese on sale. We also noticed the candy shop had tons of fall desserts discounted as well. We racked up a ton of savings with all this deliciousness!
After shopping, we made our way to the church. We went in and briefly listened to a man giving a talk about church life in Colonial times. It appears we caught the tail end of this discussion, so we headed out within a few minutes to visit the grave yard. Below are some pictures of the real, colonial graveyard behind the church:
I liked this one a lot. Directly behind the headstone was a bench to sit and ponder life:
The church:
Shortly before I took this picture, a massive bird flew overhead. The sun was shinning directly in my eyes so I wasn't able to capture it on camera. It was pretty remarkable.
After seeing the church, Jason and I found the Armory. In true Jason fashion, my amazing husband began to open up another door that was locked with an old-fashion chain. Here he is, doing what he does best:
Below is another picture of the armory:
Directly beside the armory was the market. We decided to browse for gifts today. We came across a lot of fresh produce and homemade items:
Upon leaving the market we came across a reenactment of the army trying to enlist towns-people for war. Two small boys joined the army and marched with the men down the street. Jason and I didn't watch long, for fear of being pressured to participate in the reenactment. Unfortunately we decided to leave in the same direction that they soon began marching toward. No matter where we turned, the sound of drums followed.
Jason and I walked up and down the streets enjoying the beautify fall day. Today was the first day the leaves really started to turn and show their vibrant colors. It was lovely and absolutely perfect. These moments are my most favorite with Jason--walking. Like is always a bit more spectacular when filled with love, good conversation, and time to stroll through unknown areas. There is no one else I'd share these moments with than Jason.
After enjoying the scenery, Jason and I popped into the Raleigh Tavern Bakery for some refreshment. Below is a picture of the inside:
We purchased a delicious cookie and hot beverages. We sat down on a bench in the garden area to relax and people watch.
Once refreshed, we returned to our shopping. Each time we entered a store, we were greeting with a "Good day to you!" They were always so happy and excited to see us. One shop we browsed sold beautiful capes, leather bags, hats, and wigs:
Although Jason and I visited every single store in town, we rarely purchased items to take home. Mostly we bought food. There was one shop in particular we gravitated toward. They sold spiced wine (which is amazing!). Their 18th century cash registers weren't properly working once we decided to check out. We decided to go visit other shops and browse for a while. Once their registers took 18th century credit cards again, we would return to purchase our gifts and wine. It was fun just going in and out of shops, watching the actors interact with customers. "Good day to you, Sir!" is my new favorite thing.
Below is a picture of a pomegranate tree by the church:
After collecting all our gifts and food, we decided to head back to the hotel and drop them off. We then looked for a good place to eat. We settled on Second Street Restaurant. It was a lovely place! We were seated in this beautiful round booth. It felt so special and fancy! The food was also amazing!
Our roles with herbed olive oil:
Jason and I both ordered the special--a three course meal for pretty cheap!
My French Onion soup:
Jason's Soup Du Jour:
Jason's second street bistro pasta:
While eating, our waitress asked if we were celebrating anything in particular. We told her we were visited Colonial Williamsburg for our 6th anniversary. She congratulated us and returned with a complimentary bottle of champaign! She told us that normally they give desserts for anniversary. Since our meals came with dessert, she thought champaign would be nice. We happily agreed!
Jason poured our glasses and made a small toast. It was really sweet. He toasted to our happiness and said marriage is about marrying the person each day, and then he said "Today I pick you again." This trip reminded us of how lucky we are to have each other. So many couples are so unhappily married. How fortunate we are to not only be married, but to love and like each other as well!
The picture our waitress took right before our toast:
Right after Jason's toast, the owner of the restaurant came out to congratulate us on our anniversary! We could not have picked a better restaurant for dinner!
Our amazing dessert!
After dinner, Jason and I headed back to the room to get a good night's rest for our trip home. Below is a picture of the candy apple and rum cake that we purchased. Every anniversary I'm always on the look out for a candy apple. I'm not sure why. Even on our honeymoon I remembered asking Jason if we could find a candy apple to eat. It's just always the perfect fall dessert. To love and adventures!
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Honey Punches of Oats
October 13, 2016
We started the morning at Honey Butter's. Below are pictures of our delicious brunch:
biscuits with honey butter to start:
Jason's corned beef hash:
And my scrambled eggs, garlic potatoes, and rye bread.
After breakfast, we drove to Colonial Williamsburg--big surprise, I know! We walked up and down the streets a while. We popped into a market that sold soaps, pickled vegetables, candles, baskets, chocolate, and more. They also sold toys from the 18th century, games, and outfits for kids. It was really cute. Below are two pictures from the market:
Many nights in Colonial Williamsburg we have lost our way back to the visitor center. It's also very very dark with only 18th century style lighting at night, making it even harder to figure out. We always eventually find our way, but today we purposefully made a point to figure out how to get the hell out of here. We finally realized the way back was across from this market place. We should be good to get back tonight now. Almost time to leave and that's when we get the hang of this place... figures! Haha!
After looking at the market, we popped into the post office we visited a few days earlier. It's an actual post office that was there from the 18th century that now continues to be a working post office. You can have your letters mailed out from this location. Jason and I purchased two post cards a few days earlier so we could write letters to ourselves and mail them home from here. Jason also purchased a feather quill with ink, which we used to write the letters. Today we mailed them to us by dropping them in the little outgoing basket on the post office counter. She said they would go out today. Super excited!
After browsing the store, we decided to walk up and down the streets to see what we might have missed in days prior. We didn't get too far before something caught our eye-- right beside the post office was a sign that said "This way to the printing press." We showed a woman our pass and walked behind the shop, which lead us to the lower part of the building. We found this:
This is their printing press. We're pretty sure they are actually printing things here that they sell in Colonial Williamsburg. They sell little pamphlets or newspapers from the 18th century--this must be where they make them. The man in the picture below was very funny and charming. He showed us how each step worked and was really good with the kids that walked in. He also passed around the ink paddles and let us hold them. He asked the kids "What's this got on it" and one kid said "Ink!" It was pretty funny because he was referring to what it was made out of--leather.
After seeing the printing press, we went into an old shop that sold fancy china. A man behind the counter was explaining how their bookkeeping and money worked back in those days. He said they would cut a piece silver into 8ths (or 5hths... we can't remember now) to purchase things. While explaining the bookkeeping system, he asked the five of us in the room what they would do if someone purchased something on credit and never paid it back. The room was silent and then Jason said, "You'd cut 'em!" There was a pause and then the guy said, "You'd take them to court! You don't do what that gentleman just said. You don't do that. You take them to court!" We all laughed really hard. Then he looked at me and said, "And you're with him, madam! You didn't even flinch!" It was hilarious! He finished telling us about the store and then showed us where to go next. As Jason and I left he told Jason he liked him and his answer. He laughed really hard--I guess he's never gotten that one before!
After that, we walked into the apothecary building. Below are pictures:
Shortly after that, we visited the coffee shop, which had a tour you could do. We waited a few minutes in the warm heat as they set up for the tour. While waiting, a woman came up to the employee sitting near us. She asked about the tour and was being friendly, asking lots of questions. Then, she asked the wrong question-- "How long have you worked here--are you a student?" The woman was visibly offended and said, 'No, I'm not a student. This is my full-time job." We felt so bad for the other lady. She clearly hadn't meant to insult her, but she also clearly did. She just sort of walked off and avoided the coffee shop after that. Awkward.
Once the tour began, we were shown into the house seen in the picture below:
We were seated at a round table with other guests and were soon asked to decide between coffee or tea. We both picked tea and were given a small cup and saucer. As we drank, a woman dressed in the Colonial style began chit chatting with all of us. She introduced herself and began to gossip about the people in town during the Colonial time. She specifically began talking about an upcoming trial of a rich guy in town. I guess that's really what would have been discussed in a coffee shop back then. It was more of a skit than a tour, but still good. After she finished talking, we were shown two other rooms of the coffee shop and told what their functions were. Then we left. Pretty interesting.
After that, we made our way to the Governor's Palace. Apparently it was actually burned down years and years ago, but they built a replica in it's place. There were many pieces original to the palace (piano's and paintings and what have you). We started exploring the gardens and eventually were led into a room where we met our tour guide. Below are pictures of this beautiful palace and it's gardens:
This was outside, in the gardens. It's a marker for the revolutionary war cemetery that they found there. Pretty cool!
After meeting our tour guide, he showed us the inside of the palace. We started with the entry way. Quite an intimidating greeting--guns and swords lined the walls. Apparently the weapons were actually pulled down for use during the French and Indian War.
below is a sitting room to the right of the main entrance:
The china room, to the left of the main entrance:
The fireplace in the china room:
A room upstairs that was used by the Governor and his family. It showed how rich they were--the walls were lined with red fabric, which was very expensive back then. Below are pictures:
Then we went downstairs to the ballroom. It also had a heating device, which I thought was pretty neat:
The paintings in this room were of Kind George and Queen Charlotte. They were actual originals and they were massive!
We were then shown to another room right off of the ballroom. During balls, this room was used for displaying the food. Below are pictures:
We were given a few tidbits about the Governors before the end our tour, which was pretty interesting. Our guide told us about the two Governors that lived here. One was very disliked and fled for his life (although most thought he was overreacting). The other was very loved and died here. The latter was also found to have a large closet filled with copious amounts of chocolate upon his death. He also had a barrel of tongues in the kitchen, which was a rather large amount as well. Guess he likes chocolate and tongue. . . I get the chocolate part. Haha!
We were then shown back outside to the gardens, which was fine with us because it was so beautiful. We were also told there was a garden maze that we could do. We set out to find it.
The maze:
Jason in the maze:
In no time we finished the maze and made our way out of the palace. We stumbled upon this little fellow:
You may not notice it, but there is a little squirrel that is in that picture. He kept crawling through the plant and occasionally he would pop his head up out of it. It was adorable!
After saying hi to that little creature, we popped into a place for some water and a gingerbread cookie (as seen below):
We then walked across the palace green and joined the Punch and Judy show:
In all honesty, we got bored with Punch and Judy and left. It was kind of funny but not great. We expected more Punch from the play, but seeing as we are not in the Colonial time period, they probably aren't allowed to have a play that has so much domestic violence in it. . . yikes!
Below is a picture of the horse and carriage that we've seen all week. They take people on rides up and down the streets:
Soon, it was time for us to leave. We had a four O'clock reservation at Silver Hand for a honey and mead tasting. We were super excited. Below is are picture:
We were allowed to keep the glasses from our tasting, too! They explained how honey is made and told us about the three bees that make it (queen, drone, and worker bee). Sad and short lives for bees, but really great honey. He then told us that honey taste different depending on what kind of flower the bees get their nectar from. Most honey comes from clover. Their honey comes from all kinds of things. We tried five different types and he was right--there are tons of different flavors in honey! It's just like tasting wine or olive oil. So good! We liked Star of Thistle the most. We also tasted their mead, which is made of just honey, water, and yeast. The yeast eats up all the sugar in the honey and converts it into alcohol. We purchased one small jar of Star of Thistle honey and one bottle of Soak Up the Sun Mead (which was made with one of the honeys we tried--not sure which one). So good!
The tour was pretty awesome--I loved how passionate the owner is about bees, honey, and mead. He clearly loves what he does. He even showed us his bee keeping honeycomb and how to tell if it's honey, wax, or nectar. Pretty cool.
After the tour, we went back to the hotel to drop off our belongings. We rested a bit and then went to dinner. We had reservations at King's Arms at 7:15. We got back to Colonial Williamsburg a bit early, so we decided to walk to the candy shop to purchase some sweets for after dinner. We bought 2-4 pieces of each type of chocolate covered candy we wanted. These were the ones we purchased: chocolate covered berries, cherries, caramel, sea salt caramel, toffee, cognac cordial, rum cordial, caramel apple, amaretto cordial, and fall spice.
After making our purchase, we left for the Kind's Arms. We walked through a sea of small kids. The streets were filled with kids (pre-teens) wearing glow in the dark hats. They were all on a ghost tour. Probably 50 kids running around. Jason said he overheard a mother walking near us say, "Ugh these kids..." to her son. He replied, "So immature." They laughed together. It was pretty great. Soon we reached our destination. We were actually 15 minute early but they didn't mind. Below is a picture of the restaurant:
The entire room was lit only by candlelight. We were, again, given a table cloth for a napkin. We just put it in our lap this time, however. Our waiter greeted us and took our orders. I let him know early on that we had a ghost tour shortly after dinner and were wondering if we could get the check when the food came so we wouldn't be late. He thanked me for letting him know and said he would. Below are pictures of our food:
Jason:
Our peanut soup with sippits (sippits were used to soak up the soup, as they did not have easy access to spoons):
Our condiments: pickled watermelon rind, pickled red peppers, and pickled corn. The watermelon rind was amazing!!
Our half Cornish hen, wild rice, and veggies:
Our chocolate ice cream:
Got to love three course meals! So good!
During dinner, Jason kept making funny faces at me. I tried to catch them on camera but he's quicker than my phone. I only go this picture... his other faces were hilarious!
After dinner, we walked down to the meeting spot for our ghost tour! It was perfect! We were exactly 5 minutes early. We met a woman wearing a red cloak and holding a candlelit lantern. She introduced herself to us, told us to throw away any gum and food, and to turn off our phones entirely. I almost just silenced mine, but I realized amber alerts still go off, so I shut it down, too. Glad I did--I actually had an amber alert during the tour! How terrifying would that have been to have it go off in the middle of it.
Our first stop was at the store we visited earlier in the day--the one where Jason said "You'd cut 'em" if they didn't pay you back. They led us into the second room we visited. There were only a small number of seats available, so they did the seating the colonial way--women sit and men stand. I didn't want to leave Jason, so I waited to be the last woman in so I could hopefully stand with him. Unfortunately, there was another girl who didn't want to leave her partner either. She actually looked frightened, so I went in first. Unfortunately, there was just one seat left and I had to take it. It just so happened to be the seat front and center--figures! I sat directly in front of a woman wearing a colonial gown. It happened to be the same woman from the coffee shop we visited earlier, too! She was going to do a monologue about a real life person and what happened to her.
Basically, the girl fell in love in England with a guy who said he would follow her to the Colonies to be married. The father found out and was pissed. He sent the guy away and he was never allowed to see her again. The daughter fell into a deep depression and refused to eat. They thought she was dead after a while (she wasn't eating, looked sick, and stopped moving). So they buried her. Unfortunately, they buried her alive. Grave robbers came to collect her jewelry one night. They couldn't get her rings off, so they cut her finger with a hunting knife. That's when she jumped up,because she was still alive. They ran off. She then walked to her father's house and scratched on the door but he didn't let her in. She died outside the door in a blizzard.
The actress got one good jump out of all of us. It was a very quiet room with only light from a candle. At one point she got quiet and then she slammed her food down on the wood flooring, making a really startling sound. It got me, that's for sure. The whole room jumped. She also had no regard for personal space. She would get right in your face, just a foot away and would star right at you. Again, figures I would be in the front row! It was pretty good. Our tour guide said this is a real story from a family that lives in Gloucester, VA. The girl's name was Elizabeth Throckmorton. She apparently has a friend who lives in the house where this story was said to occur. They say they still feel weird spirits right before snow in the winter.... ooooooo!
After that story, they led us to the Governor's palace. We went into the same room where we met our tour guide earlier in the day. This time we met an actor with a great Scottish accent. He gave us the option to hear three stories. We picked the french one. He then told us about a guy who got lost in a blizzard in France and was going to die in the snow on new years eve. Luckily, he found a cottage and knocked on the door. A man let him in and allowed him to stay warm and sit by the fire. He noticed the man was very hot and had eyes of coal. He asked how he didn't know him or his cottage, since he's lived there his whole life and knows everyone. The man said he used to live here a long time ago. Apparently, long ago on another new years eve, he sat in his cottage and ignored a knock on his door that night. Said he was really rich and was worried it was just a thief who wanted his money. The next morning after that blizzard settled, he found a man dead outside the door... he just needed shelter. The rich owner eventually died himself and landed himself in purgatory. Because the rich man let this guy into his cottage, he can die in peace finally. The rich man turned to ashes after completing his story. The the next thing our traveler knows, he's back at home in his slay safe and sound. He was also covered up with the animal skins that were on the bed of the rich man's cottage. Moral of the story, open your door to people so you don't go to hell or purgatory.
After this story we moved to another part of the palace and met another actress. She told us a story of Sawney Bean and his family. Apparently they were cannibals in Scotland. They would hide in the woods and kill travelers and eat them. One day they killed one traveler but couldn't kill her companion. He told the king and everyone what happened. They then went looking for Sawney Bean and his whole family and found the cave where they kept the meat from the people they killed. They then arrested him, his wife, his kids, and his grand kids--all of whom were murderous cannibals. Our story teller said her mother liked to frighten her sometimes. She would said, "What if they didn't catch all of Sawney Beans grand kids. What if one of them was hiding in that pile of laundry and they got away. What.... if.... what.... if..." She kept saying that as she inched closer and closer to one woman in the audience. It got really quiet and Jason and I were having a hard time not laughing. She was staring right at this woman and got inches from her face just saying, "What... if..." Suddenly, she jumped toward her with a growl. The woman yelled, "Jesus!!" and her husband actually punched the woman in her chest. She walked back to the front and said, "he actually struck me!" The whole room busted out laughing. Eventually she turned the mood back to serious and then indicated that her mother couldn't say anything anymore. She then pulled out some jerky from her pocket and warned us all to leave now and not stay for dinner. It was really great! As we were leaving, we saw the guy who punched her apologize. He wanted to make sure she was okay. It was hilarious!
Jason and I then walked back to the visitor center laughing the whole time. We were surprised to find the visitor center was closed. We slightly panicked, wondering how we were going to get to our car. Jason found some stairs though and we made it back no problems. We then returned to the hotel and ate our candy:
What a fun night!!!
We started the morning at Honey Butter's. Below are pictures of our delicious brunch:
biscuits with honey butter to start:
Jason's corned beef hash:
And my scrambled eggs, garlic potatoes, and rye bread.
After breakfast, we drove to Colonial Williamsburg--big surprise, I know! We walked up and down the streets a while. We popped into a market that sold soaps, pickled vegetables, candles, baskets, chocolate, and more. They also sold toys from the 18th century, games, and outfits for kids. It was really cute. Below are two pictures from the market:
Many nights in Colonial Williamsburg we have lost our way back to the visitor center. It's also very very dark with only 18th century style lighting at night, making it even harder to figure out. We always eventually find our way, but today we purposefully made a point to figure out how to get the hell out of here. We finally realized the way back was across from this market place. We should be good to get back tonight now. Almost time to leave and that's when we get the hang of this place... figures! Haha!
After looking at the market, we popped into the post office we visited a few days earlier. It's an actual post office that was there from the 18th century that now continues to be a working post office. You can have your letters mailed out from this location. Jason and I purchased two post cards a few days earlier so we could write letters to ourselves and mail them home from here. Jason also purchased a feather quill with ink, which we used to write the letters. Today we mailed them to us by dropping them in the little outgoing basket on the post office counter. She said they would go out today. Super excited!
After browsing the store, we decided to walk up and down the streets to see what we might have missed in days prior. We didn't get too far before something caught our eye-- right beside the post office was a sign that said "This way to the printing press." We showed a woman our pass and walked behind the shop, which lead us to the lower part of the building. We found this:
This is their printing press. We're pretty sure they are actually printing things here that they sell in Colonial Williamsburg. They sell little pamphlets or newspapers from the 18th century--this must be where they make them. The man in the picture below was very funny and charming. He showed us how each step worked and was really good with the kids that walked in. He also passed around the ink paddles and let us hold them. He asked the kids "What's this got on it" and one kid said "Ink!" It was pretty funny because he was referring to what it was made out of--leather.
After seeing the printing press, we went into an old shop that sold fancy china. A man behind the counter was explaining how their bookkeeping and money worked back in those days. He said they would cut a piece silver into 8ths (or 5hths... we can't remember now) to purchase things. While explaining the bookkeeping system, he asked the five of us in the room what they would do if someone purchased something on credit and never paid it back. The room was silent and then Jason said, "You'd cut 'em!" There was a pause and then the guy said, "You'd take them to court! You don't do what that gentleman just said. You don't do that. You take them to court!" We all laughed really hard. Then he looked at me and said, "And you're with him, madam! You didn't even flinch!" It was hilarious! He finished telling us about the store and then showed us where to go next. As Jason and I left he told Jason he liked him and his answer. He laughed really hard--I guess he's never gotten that one before!
After that, we walked into the apothecary building. Below are pictures:
Shortly after that, we visited the coffee shop, which had a tour you could do. We waited a few minutes in the warm heat as they set up for the tour. While waiting, a woman came up to the employee sitting near us. She asked about the tour and was being friendly, asking lots of questions. Then, she asked the wrong question-- "How long have you worked here--are you a student?" The woman was visibly offended and said, 'No, I'm not a student. This is my full-time job." We felt so bad for the other lady. She clearly hadn't meant to insult her, but she also clearly did. She just sort of walked off and avoided the coffee shop after that. Awkward.
Once the tour began, we were shown into the house seen in the picture below:
We were seated at a round table with other guests and were soon asked to decide between coffee or tea. We both picked tea and were given a small cup and saucer. As we drank, a woman dressed in the Colonial style began chit chatting with all of us. She introduced herself and began to gossip about the people in town during the Colonial time. She specifically began talking about an upcoming trial of a rich guy in town. I guess that's really what would have been discussed in a coffee shop back then. It was more of a skit than a tour, but still good. After she finished talking, we were shown two other rooms of the coffee shop and told what their functions were. Then we left. Pretty interesting.
After that, we made our way to the Governor's Palace. Apparently it was actually burned down years and years ago, but they built a replica in it's place. There were many pieces original to the palace (piano's and paintings and what have you). We started exploring the gardens and eventually were led into a room where we met our tour guide. Below are pictures of this beautiful palace and it's gardens:
This was outside, in the gardens. It's a marker for the revolutionary war cemetery that they found there. Pretty cool!
After meeting our tour guide, he showed us the inside of the palace. We started with the entry way. Quite an intimidating greeting--guns and swords lined the walls. Apparently the weapons were actually pulled down for use during the French and Indian War.
below is a sitting room to the right of the main entrance:
The china room, to the left of the main entrance:
The fireplace in the china room:
A room upstairs that was used by the Governor and his family. It showed how rich they were--the walls were lined with red fabric, which was very expensive back then. Below are pictures:
Then we went downstairs to the ballroom. It also had a heating device, which I thought was pretty neat:
The paintings in this room were of Kind George and Queen Charlotte. They were actual originals and they were massive!
We were then shown to another room right off of the ballroom. During balls, this room was used for displaying the food. Below are pictures:
We were given a few tidbits about the Governors before the end our tour, which was pretty interesting. Our guide told us about the two Governors that lived here. One was very disliked and fled for his life (although most thought he was overreacting). The other was very loved and died here. The latter was also found to have a large closet filled with copious amounts of chocolate upon his death. He also had a barrel of tongues in the kitchen, which was a rather large amount as well. Guess he likes chocolate and tongue. . . I get the chocolate part. Haha!
We were then shown back outside to the gardens, which was fine with us because it was so beautiful. We were also told there was a garden maze that we could do. We set out to find it.
The maze:
Jason in the maze:
In no time we finished the maze and made our way out of the palace. We stumbled upon this little fellow:
You may not notice it, but there is a little squirrel that is in that picture. He kept crawling through the plant and occasionally he would pop his head up out of it. It was adorable!
After saying hi to that little creature, we popped into a place for some water and a gingerbread cookie (as seen below):
We then walked across the palace green and joined the Punch and Judy show:
In all honesty, we got bored with Punch and Judy and left. It was kind of funny but not great. We expected more Punch from the play, but seeing as we are not in the Colonial time period, they probably aren't allowed to have a play that has so much domestic violence in it. . . yikes!
Below is a picture of the horse and carriage that we've seen all week. They take people on rides up and down the streets:
Soon, it was time for us to leave. We had a four O'clock reservation at Silver Hand for a honey and mead tasting. We were super excited. Below is are picture:
The tour was pretty awesome--I loved how passionate the owner is about bees, honey, and mead. He clearly loves what he does. He even showed us his bee keeping honeycomb and how to tell if it's honey, wax, or nectar. Pretty cool.
After the tour, we went back to the hotel to drop off our belongings. We rested a bit and then went to dinner. We had reservations at King's Arms at 7:15. We got back to Colonial Williamsburg a bit early, so we decided to walk to the candy shop to purchase some sweets for after dinner. We bought 2-4 pieces of each type of chocolate covered candy we wanted. These were the ones we purchased: chocolate covered berries, cherries, caramel, sea salt caramel, toffee, cognac cordial, rum cordial, caramel apple, amaretto cordial, and fall spice.
After making our purchase, we left for the Kind's Arms. We walked through a sea of small kids. The streets were filled with kids (pre-teens) wearing glow in the dark hats. They were all on a ghost tour. Probably 50 kids running around. Jason said he overheard a mother walking near us say, "Ugh these kids..." to her son. He replied, "So immature." They laughed together. It was pretty great. Soon we reached our destination. We were actually 15 minute early but they didn't mind. Below is a picture of the restaurant:
The entire room was lit only by candlelight. We were, again, given a table cloth for a napkin. We just put it in our lap this time, however. Our waiter greeted us and took our orders. I let him know early on that we had a ghost tour shortly after dinner and were wondering if we could get the check when the food came so we wouldn't be late. He thanked me for letting him know and said he would. Below are pictures of our food:
Jason:
Our peanut soup with sippits (sippits were used to soak up the soup, as they did not have easy access to spoons):
Our condiments: pickled watermelon rind, pickled red peppers, and pickled corn. The watermelon rind was amazing!!
Our half Cornish hen, wild rice, and veggies:
Our chocolate ice cream:
During dinner, Jason kept making funny faces at me. I tried to catch them on camera but he's quicker than my phone. I only go this picture... his other faces were hilarious!
After dinner, we walked down to the meeting spot for our ghost tour! It was perfect! We were exactly 5 minutes early. We met a woman wearing a red cloak and holding a candlelit lantern. She introduced herself to us, told us to throw away any gum and food, and to turn off our phones entirely. I almost just silenced mine, but I realized amber alerts still go off, so I shut it down, too. Glad I did--I actually had an amber alert during the tour! How terrifying would that have been to have it go off in the middle of it.
Our first stop was at the store we visited earlier in the day--the one where Jason said "You'd cut 'em" if they didn't pay you back. They led us into the second room we visited. There were only a small number of seats available, so they did the seating the colonial way--women sit and men stand. I didn't want to leave Jason, so I waited to be the last woman in so I could hopefully stand with him. Unfortunately, there was another girl who didn't want to leave her partner either. She actually looked frightened, so I went in first. Unfortunately, there was just one seat left and I had to take it. It just so happened to be the seat front and center--figures! I sat directly in front of a woman wearing a colonial gown. It happened to be the same woman from the coffee shop we visited earlier, too! She was going to do a monologue about a real life person and what happened to her.
Basically, the girl fell in love in England with a guy who said he would follow her to the Colonies to be married. The father found out and was pissed. He sent the guy away and he was never allowed to see her again. The daughter fell into a deep depression and refused to eat. They thought she was dead after a while (she wasn't eating, looked sick, and stopped moving). So they buried her. Unfortunately, they buried her alive. Grave robbers came to collect her jewelry one night. They couldn't get her rings off, so they cut her finger with a hunting knife. That's when she jumped up,because she was still alive. They ran off. She then walked to her father's house and scratched on the door but he didn't let her in. She died outside the door in a blizzard.
The actress got one good jump out of all of us. It was a very quiet room with only light from a candle. At one point she got quiet and then she slammed her food down on the wood flooring, making a really startling sound. It got me, that's for sure. The whole room jumped. She also had no regard for personal space. She would get right in your face, just a foot away and would star right at you. Again, figures I would be in the front row! It was pretty good. Our tour guide said this is a real story from a family that lives in Gloucester, VA. The girl's name was Elizabeth Throckmorton. She apparently has a friend who lives in the house where this story was said to occur. They say they still feel weird spirits right before snow in the winter.... ooooooo!
After that story, they led us to the Governor's palace. We went into the same room where we met our tour guide earlier in the day. This time we met an actor with a great Scottish accent. He gave us the option to hear three stories. We picked the french one. He then told us about a guy who got lost in a blizzard in France and was going to die in the snow on new years eve. Luckily, he found a cottage and knocked on the door. A man let him in and allowed him to stay warm and sit by the fire. He noticed the man was very hot and had eyes of coal. He asked how he didn't know him or his cottage, since he's lived there his whole life and knows everyone. The man said he used to live here a long time ago. Apparently, long ago on another new years eve, he sat in his cottage and ignored a knock on his door that night. Said he was really rich and was worried it was just a thief who wanted his money. The next morning after that blizzard settled, he found a man dead outside the door... he just needed shelter. The rich owner eventually died himself and landed himself in purgatory. Because the rich man let this guy into his cottage, he can die in peace finally. The rich man turned to ashes after completing his story. The the next thing our traveler knows, he's back at home in his slay safe and sound. He was also covered up with the animal skins that were on the bed of the rich man's cottage. Moral of the story, open your door to people so you don't go to hell or purgatory.
After this story we moved to another part of the palace and met another actress. She told us a story of Sawney Bean and his family. Apparently they were cannibals in Scotland. They would hide in the woods and kill travelers and eat them. One day they killed one traveler but couldn't kill her companion. He told the king and everyone what happened. They then went looking for Sawney Bean and his whole family and found the cave where they kept the meat from the people they killed. They then arrested him, his wife, his kids, and his grand kids--all of whom were murderous cannibals. Our story teller said her mother liked to frighten her sometimes. She would said, "What if they didn't catch all of Sawney Beans grand kids. What if one of them was hiding in that pile of laundry and they got away. What.... if.... what.... if..." She kept saying that as she inched closer and closer to one woman in the audience. It got really quiet and Jason and I were having a hard time not laughing. She was staring right at this woman and got inches from her face just saying, "What... if..." Suddenly, she jumped toward her with a growl. The woman yelled, "Jesus!!" and her husband actually punched the woman in her chest. She walked back to the front and said, "he actually struck me!" The whole room busted out laughing. Eventually she turned the mood back to serious and then indicated that her mother couldn't say anything anymore. She then pulled out some jerky from her pocket and warned us all to leave now and not stay for dinner. It was really great! As we were leaving, we saw the guy who punched her apologize. He wanted to make sure she was okay. It was hilarious!
Jason and I then walked back to the visitor center laughing the whole time. We were surprised to find the visitor center was closed. We slightly panicked, wondering how we were going to get to our car. Jason found some stairs though and we made it back no problems. We then returned to the hotel and ate our candy:
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