Williamsburg, Virginia - Day 3

Today, we spent the majority of the day walking the streets of Colonial Williamsburg with Uncle Jim, Aunt Grace, and Matt. Before touring, we watched the 1957 movie entitled “Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot” featured at the Visitor Center. The viewing made the streets come alive as it provided information on the historical experiences that occurred in and around different buildings. From the Visitor Center, Aunt Grace drove the scenic route so we could view William and Mary college on our way to walk the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. The iconic campus is absolutely beautiful.

The day was hot (upper 90’s) and humid, with an occasional breeze. It was fun to hop into different shops, cool off, see and visit with the merchants dressed in early colonial costumes, and peruse the goods being sold. I was able to view an old fashioned printing press which reminded me of the great advancements that have been made in the industry. We stopped and played a fun adding game called Shut the Box which we’re going to order from Amazon so we don’t have to pack it home on the plane.

We went to the Raleigh Tavern Bakery for a freshly baked ginger cake that was about the size and shape of a cookie with a domed top. We also enjoyed a cool colonial root beer from Chownings Snack Bar, they both really hit the spot. The root beer was lightly carbonated with uniquely wonderful flavors (take a look at the photo for details). We bought Pontefract Cakes, a British black licorice, from Tarpley’s, and Aunt Grace stopped at the street market and procured some Tomato Conserve, which is a sweet marmalade flavored with tomatoes, cane sugar, orange and lemon peel, orange and lemon juice, cinnamon, and clove. The jar suggested to use on cheese sandwiches and more. Later, that evening, Aunt Grace put it over cream cheese and we added it to wheat thins. That was a hit! Aaron brought back chocolate covered raisins from The Peanut Shop and now we’re all addicted to them. The dark chocolate is sooo thick, yum!

As we walked around town, workers were tying down the hanging street signs in preparation for Hurricane Florence that is expected to hit landfall on Thursday evening in the Carolina’s to the south of us. They are expecting massive winds and torrential rain throughout Virginia and inland towards West Virginia. When we stopped to pick up supplies for dinner at Walmart the bread aisle was bare and there wasn’t any bottled water to be found as folks are stocking up for the incoming storm.

Dinner was a compilation of yummy left overs with a few added side dishes. The company and conversation continues to be fun and engaging. We are loving sharing and swapping stories. Tomorrow, we may try to make a quick trip to Virginia Beach to put our feet in the Atlantic before the storm. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the weather works in our favor.