Thursday, June 28th, 2012
Breakfast/Transfer to Williamsburg: Of course, Ashley and I stayed up late talking again, and of course, it was EXTREMELY difficult to wake up. Moving like rushed zombies, we got ready for the day, stuffed our belongings into our suitcases and headed down to breakfast in the Hooker's and Early's Rooms, served for 45 minutes. Or so our itinerary told us. But don't worry! I'm pretty darn tootin sure that the Hooker Dining Hall was named after Thomas Hooker, a Confederate General during the Civil War (and yeah, if my memory serves me right, he is part of the namesake for the not-very-polite name given to not-very-polite-people as well) ;) But that's besides the point, right? haha Anyways, after breakfast, we were given Colonial Williamsburg brochures and packed onto the bus to get on our way. I was amazed at how big Colonial Williamsburg looks even on a map! And boy, are there things to do there (well, more like there are things to learn and observe and buy there). As Ashley and I looked over the list of shops, naturally, the free rental costumes caught our eye. We laughed and laughed at the thought of us gallivanting like hooligans through the streets in colonial attire! Can you imagine? Wowza. We figured out upon further inspection however that these costumes were only for children... what a shame... With the heat advisory and humidity, not to mention how dorky the idea, I admit that I wasn't too disapointed.Colonial Williamsburg: The first item on our list was a preliminary tour of the grounds led by a guide with corny jokes. Man, this place is HUGE! If it weren't for the occasional car, street clothes, and air conditioning I witnessed, I would've believed I had time traveled. If you've ever been to This Is the Place Heritage Park in SLC, you'd have a glimpse of what I'm talking about. Imagine This is the Place, but bigger, colonial, and even more intense. People that work here live her year round. They get to live in the homes that they work in! Don't worry, the homes have been equipped with electricity, so they can watch T.V. They have cars on the property that they can use on their days off to go wherever. And don't think for one minute that these people just sit around giving tours all day. Many of them legitimately create what their colonial counterparts would have. Three of them build carriages with nothing but man power and wood and sell them for thousands of dollars to other historical institutions. One man and his apprentice shape wood cut down trees grown on the property into exact replicas of furniture from the era. We saw them making one of George Washington's candelabras. Women sat in the dress shop sewing intricate dresses. The man at the gun shop made rifles and shotguns exactly as they would have in the time period. He told us that there was a 20 year waiting list to get one of his guns- they're sold for millions of dollars. Every day, they reenact the reading of the Declaration of Independence with "Huzzah"'s and music by two snare drummers and two piccolo players. Minutemen fire celebratory shots and ready the cannons blasts to proclaim independence.
It was a long, hot day, but I learned a ton! We got to get down and dirty making bricks too! We rolled up our pants and stuck our tired, sweaty feet into the cool clay. By the end of the day, we were all exhausted. It was 90 degree weather! We started staying inside the shops and playing with the hand made soaps just to escape the heat. It helped, even though every shop sold the same merchandise... We still had plenty of time to explore though! I learned a lot about everyday colonial living during the Revolution. And did you know that they filmed part of John Adams here?!? I love that movie! My Grandma let me borrow it from her before my trip so that I could be sure to learn as much as I could. I would definitely recommend anything David McCullough. Sometimes, a picture can say a thousand words- here are some to help me describe the adventure of Williamsburg:
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| This is the church where MANY of our Founding Father's worshiped. John Marshall, James Monroe, General George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry were among the names I observed. Can you believe it!? |
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| My heart swelled to think that he sat and worshiped here! |
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| And I got to sit where they sat! I'd always heard my grandma tell me about the box seats that colonials sat in at their churches with their families to conserve heat! |
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| We got to see how they made bricks! Our feet were FILTHY from softening the clay. After this, the workers placed the bricks in molds and sat them in the sun to bake. |
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| Best part of this lunch: AIR CONDITIONING. (And it was DELICIOUS, of course.) |
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| We got a taste of what travelers would have gotten at this inn- Salad, Chicken Pop Pie, and Vanilla Ice Cream and HOMEMADE ROLLS Who knows how accurate that was, but it was VERY refreshing! They had to refill my lemonade 6 times |
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| The lady in this shop was HILARIOUS! She was SO in character. She asked us: "Are you ready to part with your hair and make a purchase?" She was offering to cut off our hair and give us a wig... just like the rich ladies of Colonial W. UM- nope. There was a funny picture on the wall of the wind blowing a woman's wig off her head- it was titled: "The Lady's Demise", poor colonial women... (and men for that matter) But the wigs were beautiful |
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| We hung out and tried on hats in shops like these for hours. Why? You guessed it, air conditioning! |
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| Cool staircase in the "Magazine and Guardhouse" The man in here could talk about colonial weaponry for hours. |
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| We couldn't resist!!! (I wish I was doing something less awkward with my leg...) |
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| They fired shots to "herald the revolution" |
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| I was SO excited when I started to hear the drum and piccolo players! I practically ran, dragging my friends with me to the City Hall where actors read the Declaration of Independence and celebrated together. |
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| Man, I knew these things were loud, but they were ridiculously louder than I had expected. I can imagine how horrifying they would be to those on the battle front and those in the surrounding cities during war. |
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| The workers here kept the gardens beautifully! |
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| These two were "engaged" and absolutely refused to break character when we asked them if that was in real life too. "Whatever do you mean?" He replied. "I say, are you feeling ill? It is quite hot today." She added. |
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| These lovely ladies sew EVERYTHING that the workers wear by hand. This entire park is COMPLETELY authentic! I was impressed! This is the job I would love (I think) if I were a colonial girl. |
I have many more pictures, but I would ramble on for hours if I attempted to describe every one! And besides, I think you get the gist of it. You should visit sometime! It was fun, and I could barely move my legs by the end of it. The people who lived here year round without modern conveniences must have been VERY hardy people. I mean, you think those people who stayed inside were wimps? Go live there for a day! If you could, you'd stay inside too.
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| One more picture of the day: I SERIOUSLY wanted to buy this lemonade, just because it was so vintage and cute, but I was craving sarsaparilla root beer, good thing that was delicious too eh? |
We ate gourmet sandwiches and gathered around a shaded table to finish off our wonderful day at Williamsburg. I bought my brothers some toys at a gift shop, took a few last minute pictures, and got on the bus to head back to Washington, DC. It felt like we were heading back home after an overnight trip- strange sentiment eh? Ashley and I talked that night, again, but only until 11 because we fell promptly asleep after our eventful, adventurous, exhausting day.
