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Yesterday, we decided to take it easier and have a more relaxing day. We started at the Yankee Candle Company, which was rated #2 on Trip Advisor, according to Bobby. The place was rather impressive, just not my thing. The Christmas section snowed indoors every four minutes. (The Christmas section was the best part because there were some really beautiful handmade crafts, cuckoo clocks, et cetera.) They had dip-your-own candles, which we mistakenly thought meant making your own candles, which would have been fun. Actually, it was dipping premade candles into colored wax. Not fun! We had a free coupon but no one wanted to use it. I also learned that Yankee Candle makes a leather-scented candle. It smelled yucky (and I generally like the smell of leather). They also made one called Wedding Day. We all agreed that an interesting companion candle would be Wedding Night.
Next, we went to the Williamsburg Winery, which was much more my thing. We have done winery tours at Boordy back home, but one can never see too many barrels of wine. Also, our guide was great, and gave us lots of good tips for serving and tasting wine. Of course, the tour involved tasting; we tried seven different wines. Whenever my mom didn't like a sample, she gave the rest to me. I was pretty tipsy by the end.
Some winery pictures:
The winery had a cafe on premise, so we had lunch there, and it was very good. By now, it was mid-afternoon, so we went back to the hotel for some chill time before our evening plans.
The day before in Yorktown, we saw that there was a sailing tour aboard a schooner called the Alliance. Unfortunately, we arrived in Yorktown five minutes before the ship sailed and would have had to wait four hours for the next departure, so we decided to come back for the sunset cruise on Monday. Here is a picture my dad took of the ship on the river the day before:
Cool, huh?
There is a similar ship with about twice as many sails that does scuba charters, and Bobby and I have been eying it up for years and plan to go out on it when we finish our certifications. Someday. :^/
Anyway. So we went back to Yorktown yesterday evening. The cruise was so much fun, two hours out on the York River. And it was a gorgeous night with a beautiful sunset.
The Alliance before we set sail:
Bobby and me with the Alliance in the background:
One of the cool things about the Alliance is that the passengers can volunteer to help with raising the sails. Bobby and I were the first volunteers, so we raised the heaviest sails. (Which they only told us after we volunteered!) Then, I had to keep pace with Bobby, which seemed rather backward. But it was fun! I felt very in touch with my Telerin heritage.
The crew was cool. It was run by a husband and wife who sail south for the winter (they spent the past two winters in Panama) with the help of a local high school kid during the summer. They were all friendly and very informative about the local sights and history.
Sails going up:
The 'gund:
Two people that we also found on board.
And some random man that decided to put his arm around me:
The Moore House, where the articles of capitulation were signed after the Battle of Yorktown:
My mom is so cute!
We were really proud of her because she doesn't do well getting onto boats because she has a bad fear of heights, but by the end of the two hours, she was wandering around deck like an old salt!
It was windy!
Victory Monument, raised in honor of the victory at Yorktown, at sunset:
The cruise was my favorite activity from the trip. However, today's activity was my second favorite.
Today, we went to the Jamestown Settlement. Last year, we went to the living history museum and tall ships, which was cool. The Settlement, though, was the actual sight of the original fort, and it is currently being excavated by an archaeological team. We happened to arrive exactly on time to hear an hour-long talk from one of the senior archaeologists about their current work and what they've found so far. Apparently, the prevailing theory until relatively recently was that the original fort was lost to erosion, but the lead archaeologist of the current team thought differently and started excavations and immediately found signs of the original fort, and they've been working on the site for the past 15 years. They've made a lot of significant finds, and there is a museum on premise that shows some of the most significant. The presentation was great, and it was so cool to see the site as they were working on it.
A reconstruction "stud and mud" structure very much like what would have been constructed at the original fort.
The John Smith statue:
While we were going through the museum, we went past a plate glass window, and there was a bald eagle sitting in the tree outside! It was our first time seeing one in the wild.
There was also a historical glassworks nearby:
We didn't have a chance to have lunch, so we stopped for Mom's favorite: homemade ice keem!
It was quite difficult to find in the shopping center, but once we did, Mom really enjoyed it.
Tonight, we had dinner at Food for Thought, which is my favorite restaurant down here. They had something called Wild Pasta, which was wild mushrooms and artichoke hearts in a spicy cream sauce. Bobby and I shared a brie appetizer, and I had a cup of roasted red pepper and smoked gouda soup. OME.
It has been an awesome trip. Tomorrow, sadly, we go home. :( However, in just a few weeks, we all hit the road again to go to a sustainability conference in Monticello, so we only have to endure real life for a few weeks more before we get to do it again.
Next, we went to the Williamsburg Winery, which was much more my thing. We have done winery tours at Boordy back home, but one can never see too many barrels of wine. Also, our guide was great, and gave us lots of good tips for serving and tasting wine. Of course, the tour involved tasting; we tried seven different wines. Whenever my mom didn't like a sample, she gave the rest to me. I was pretty tipsy by the end.
Some winery pictures:
The winery had a cafe on premise, so we had lunch there, and it was very good. By now, it was mid-afternoon, so we went back to the hotel for some chill time before our evening plans.
The day before in Yorktown, we saw that there was a sailing tour aboard a schooner called the Alliance. Unfortunately, we arrived in Yorktown five minutes before the ship sailed and would have had to wait four hours for the next departure, so we decided to come back for the sunset cruise on Monday. Here is a picture my dad took of the ship on the river the day before:
Cool, huh?
There is a similar ship with about twice as many sails that does scuba charters, and Bobby and I have been eying it up for years and plan to go out on it when we finish our certifications. Someday. :^/
Anyway. So we went back to Yorktown yesterday evening. The cruise was so much fun, two hours out on the York River. And it was a gorgeous night with a beautiful sunset.
The Alliance before we set sail:
Bobby and me with the Alliance in the background:
One of the cool things about the Alliance is that the passengers can volunteer to help with raising the sails. Bobby and I were the first volunteers, so we raised the heaviest sails. (Which they only told us after we volunteered!) Then, I had to keep pace with Bobby, which seemed rather backward. But it was fun! I felt very in touch with my Telerin heritage.
The crew was cool. It was run by a husband and wife who sail south for the winter (they spent the past two winters in Panama) with the help of a local high school kid during the summer. They were all friendly and very informative about the local sights and history.
Sails going up:
The 'gund:
Two people that we also found on board.
And some random man that decided to put his arm around me:
The Moore House, where the articles of capitulation were signed after the Battle of Yorktown:
My mom is so cute!
We were really proud of her because she doesn't do well getting onto boats because she has a bad fear of heights, but by the end of the two hours, she was wandering around deck like an old salt!
It was windy!
Victory Monument, raised in honor of the victory at Yorktown, at sunset:
The cruise was my favorite activity from the trip. However, today's activity was my second favorite.
Today, we went to the Jamestown Settlement. Last year, we went to the living history museum and tall ships, which was cool. The Settlement, though, was the actual sight of the original fort, and it is currently being excavated by an archaeological team. We happened to arrive exactly on time to hear an hour-long talk from one of the senior archaeologists about their current work and what they've found so far. Apparently, the prevailing theory until relatively recently was that the original fort was lost to erosion, but the lead archaeologist of the current team thought differently and started excavations and immediately found signs of the original fort, and they've been working on the site for the past 15 years. They've made a lot of significant finds, and there is a museum on premise that shows some of the most significant. The presentation was great, and it was so cool to see the site as they were working on it.
A reconstruction "stud and mud" structure very much like what would have been constructed at the original fort.
The John Smith statue:
While we were going through the museum, we went past a plate glass window, and there was a bald eagle sitting in the tree outside! It was our first time seeing one in the wild.
There was also a historical glassworks nearby:
We didn't have a chance to have lunch, so we stopped for Mom's favorite: homemade ice keem!
It was quite difficult to find in the shopping center, but once we did, Mom really enjoyed it.
Tonight, we had dinner at Food for Thought, which is my favorite restaurant down here. They had something called Wild Pasta, which was wild mushrooms and artichoke hearts in a spicy cream sauce. Bobby and I shared a brie appetizer, and I had a cup of roasted red pepper and smoked gouda soup. OME.
It has been an awesome trip. Tomorrow, sadly, we go home. :( However, in just a few weeks, we all hit the road again to go to a sustainability conference in Monticello, so we only have to endure real life for a few weeks more before we get to do it again.
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