Chesapeake Bay, Maryland & Virginia

We spent two nights, Sunday, Oct 8^th and Monday, Oct 9^th outside Annapolis Md. It was a short drive to the waterfront in Annapolis where we encountered crowds that were attending a very large boat show. We bypassed the $20 parking spots and instead decided to park in a nearby neighborhood and walk to the waterfront. We spent our time walking along the waterfront looking at some of the boats, shops, restaurants and even spent an hour or so walking around the adjoining U.S. Naval Academy. We did not realize that so many astronauts graduated from the Naval Academy, including Alan Shepard, the first American in space. We had lunch at a very old, approximately 150 years old, tavern in Annapolis and we had to sample the steamed mussels and clams. They were delicious.

Annapolis was just as gorgeous as we remembered.

On to Williamsburgh, Virginia and exploring the historic restored city. The historic area consists of 88 buildings that survived from the 1700’s and many others that have been restored. It was interesting to visit the blacksmith, silversmith and many other shops that were being worked by people in period costume. We particularly enjoyed a talk by “Thomas Jefferson” who had just returned from the Continental Congress in 1776. He explained his views on the Declaration of Independence and the role of government.

The Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony of the Capitol building just as it had been done in 1776. It made you proud to be an American as everyone cheered after the reading, just as they had done in 1776.

We had lunch in one of the old taverns where the menu consisted of food typical from the 1700’s. The servers were in period costumes. They had peanut soup, game pies, Virginia ham and John’s favorite, fried chicken. One of the taverns, the Raleigh tavern is where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and others gathered to discuss and plot the American Revolution.