Flashback: East Coast Roadtrip Pt. 2
We only later discovered that this is one of the only pictures we took inside our trusted car. And it is totally misleading. The majority of driving was done by K although there is no proof. But at least I am a good girl, totally focused on the task at hand.
Eventually, we took a few turns, crossed some (seemingly) never-ending bridges and found ourselves on the US 158 going through Nags Head. Being situated on a very thin Island strip you have beach houses left and right making for a great vacation spot. If you have the time to stay in one place for more than two days at a time that is. A luxury we definitely did not have.
By now we had been stuck sitting in a car for almost six hours so any excuse for a break and some stretching would have been good enough. Heading over to a beach as fine looking as this one...there really wasn't any other choice, was there?
To be perfectly honest, I don't even know how came about those soap bubbles. It was all very mysterious. Anyway, being the little children that we are inside we had fun with them.
It might come as a surprise to you, but the rest of the day was spent driving. And slowly but surely the weather became more bearable the further along we got. We finally called it a day just outside Williamsburg, Virginia (state number 5!).
The next day we had breakfast at a local diner and K had her first ever pancakes on American ground before we headed over to the historice site of Colonial Williamsburg. Williamsburg was at the centre of political upheaval in 1775 which eventually led to the American Revolutionary War a year later. The site features a replica of the old city with actors walking around reenacting the events that caused the rebellion.
The first commotion started around 11 a.m.. Apparently, all the gun powder had been removed from themagazine by the govenor.
On a quest to demand answers, we marched towards the govenor's mansion. He did not look (and sound) too happy about that though.
There were many more side storys involving historical figures somehow involved. We stuck around for a while but eventually wandered off on our own happy to explore the houses in peace. The place is beautifully kept with a lot of attention paid to small details. And there is a lot to do for people of all age groups so if you are in the area it is well worth a visit.
Our next stop was Richmond, the state capital. During the Civil War it also served as the capital of the Confederate States. Today its most visited attraction is the Virginia State Capitol which really is very impressive. But let's start at the beginning.
This is the view of the capitol upon entering. In 2004 the building needed to be expanded and not wanting to impair its reknown architecture the expansion was constructed beneath the hill.
We were kindly greeted by Thomas Jefferson.
The sculpture in the rotunda is Houdon's statue of George Washington. It is said to be one of the very few likings for which he actually stood model.
The House of Delegates:
More from Mr. Washington:
The Old House of Delegates Chamber (where Virginia's decleration of independence was decided in 1776):
The Senate Chamber:
This is a model of the original building. The two wings you saw upon entering were added in 1904.
Outside the capitol is the Virginia Washington Monument, an equestrian statue of George Washington.
As the day neared its end we had to take our leave. You see, it was the eve of the 3rd of July and we had plans that included us spending Independence day in D.C.. So we got into our car and onto the I 95 which took us straight to the outskirts of the capital of the United States of America. On a sidenote: we passed the 1000 mile mark right before entering the city limits...and we were only at the end of Day 4!
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