Hommik Virginias algas prussakaga. Panin prillid ette, tule põlema ja seal ta oli, jõllitas mulle oma väikeste punnsilmadega otsa. Sealt, kust ma just prillid olin võtnud. Sain väikse südari ja saatsin ta viimsele teele. Jap, neid võib lõuna pool palju olla aga camoon.. Vähemalt hea, et ma ühtegi eelmisel õhul ei avastanud. Ja etteruttavalt, see oli reisi ainuke.
Virginia, mis on üks 13st😁, peatuseks olin valinud koloniaallinna Williamsburgi. Williamsburg ongi tuntud Ameerika Ühendriikide koloniaalajaloo säilitajana ja koos Jamestowni ning Yorktowniga moodustab ajaloolise kolmnurga, mida iga aasta külastab ca 4 miljonit inimest. Williamsburgis asub William & Mary kolledž, mis on vanuselt teine kõrgharidust andev asutus USAs.
Teel sillani nägime eesti rahvusliblikat, pääsusaba; kunagist kooli mustanahalistele lastele; kolledži hooneid; sirgetes ridades istutatud taimi ja bambust! Ei peagi Jaapanisse sõitma. Sillal väike fotosessioon ja hetkes viibimine.
Tagasitee Duke of Gloucester ehk peatänavale kulges samuti rahulikult. Istusime kiigel ja imetlesime kaunist loodust. Õppetööd veel ei toimu, seega saime praktiliselt inimtühjalt liikuda.
Duke of Gloucester tänava alguses (no kuidas võtta, kolledži poolt vaadatuna) on suveniiripoed ning võimalus Thomas Jeffersoni kõrval istuda. Tänavat mööda edasi liikudes on võimalik sisse põigata erinevatesse majadesse, kus demonstreeritakse koloniaalajastu elu-olu, aiandust, kohtupidamist ja mida veel. Igasugune osalemine on loomulikult tasuline.
Nägime kahuripaugu lavastust ning jõudsime välja Kapitoolumini. Palju puidust selliseid maju, nagu Ameerika ajaloost ette kujutaks.
Õhtusöögi kohtade eeltööd tehes avastasin, et Wilmingtonis asub Waffle House. Mul muud huvi selle vastu ei ole, aga Jonas Brothersil oli mõni aeg tagasi samanimeline laul ja sellele on tehtud lühike tants, mille tahtsin Waffle House ees ära teha. Ja kes siis reisi ette valmistades tantsu selgeks õpib. Ei, ikka vahetult enne kohale jõudmist.
Seega, õhtusöök Wilmingtoni Waffle Houses. Mitte midagi erilist aga söönuks saime. Karastusjoogile oli tasuta täitmine, mida ma taipasin liiga hilja. Mitte, et ma eriline säästja oleks, aga mõttetult raisata ka ei meeldi.
Majutusse tagasi kõndisime mööda jõeäärset ala, mis on hääletatud parimaks Ameerika jõeääreks. Ja mugavalt asus jõe ääres ka üks tops. Viisin vanemad tagasi majutusse ning käisin veel väikesel geotuuril.
Sellega olime jõudnud oma seitsmendasse osariiki.
Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong, West Virginia, mountain mama, take me home, country roads...
The morning in Virginia started with a roach. I put on my glasses, switched on the light, and there it was, staring at me with its little beady eyes. Right where I had just picked up my glasses. I nearly had a heart attack and squashed it. Yep, there can be a lot of them down south, but come on… At least I’m glad I didn’t find any the previous evening. Just for the record, that was the only one on the trip.
For Virginia, one of the original 13 colonies 😁, I had chosen the colonial town of Williamsburg. Williamsburg is known for preserving the history of the United States’ colonial era, and together with Jamestown and Yorktown, it forms a historic triangle visited by around 4 million people annually. Williamsburg is also home to the College of William & Mary, the second-oldest higher education institution in the US.
We left the car in a parking garage (1 dollar per hour, prepaid) and walked to Crim Dell Bridge, which belongs to the college. There isn’t much to say about it, except that it’s photogenic, and there’s a legend that if you walk over it holding hands, you’ll be lifelong friends, and a kiss in the middle guarantees love.
On the way to the bridge, we saw Estonia’s national butterfly, the swallowtail; a former school for African American children; college buildings; plants planted in neat rows, and bamboo! No need to travel to Japan. We had a little photo session on the bridge and enjoyed the moment.
The walk back to Duke of Gloucester Street, the main street, was just as peaceful. We sat on a swing and admired the picturesque nature. Classes hadn’t started yet, so we could move around without seeing anyone.
At the beginning of Duke of Gloucester Street (well, if you look at it from the college side) are souvenir shops and the opportunity to sit next to Thomas Jefferson. Walking further down the street, you can pop into various houses where they demonstrate colonial life, gardening, court proceedings, and more. Participation in anything is, of course, for a fee.
We saw a cannon firing demonstration and reached the Capitol. There were many wooden houses like you’d imagine from American history.
Then we had a four-and-a-half-hour drive ahead of us, which we split in half in Roanoke Rapids. By the evening, we reached Wilmington, North Carolina, where we stayed at the Best Western Plus Coastline Inn, located on the banks of the Cape Fear River. No alligators were seen. We didn’t have a carpet in our room and I loved it.
While doing research on dinner spots, I discovered that Wilmington has a Waffle House. I wasn’t particularly interested in the food, but the Jonas Brothers had a song called "Waffle House" some time ago, and there's a short dance routine for it that I wanted to do in front of the Waffle House. And who learns the dance routine before the trip? Nope — why lessen the stress? You can do that while having dinner.
Waffle House, Wilmington. Nothing special, but enough. There were free refills on soft drinks, which I only realised too late. Not that I’m a big fan of sustainability, but I don’t like wasting either.
We walked back to the hotel along the riverfront, which has been voted the best riverfront in America. And conveniently, there was a cache right by the river. I took my parents back to the hotel and then went on a little geocaching tour.
And with that, we had reached our seventh state.
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