Norfolk...

It was a sad morning. We bid farewell to friends Jim and Kathy on Charm and their four legged crew - Nikki, Tali and most notably Murphy. We'd been traveling with them almost since our winter voyage began and we are very sad to see them go. We do, however, hope to meet up with them in the coming weeks as we explore the Chesapeake Bay.

But we won't be Bay sailing just yet. There is still much to see in the Hampton Roads area. Today, we opted to take the ferry from Portsmouth to Norfolk and enjoy the downtown community. Our first stop was the Nauticus complex which features the USS Battleship Wisconsin as well as the Nauticus Museum and the US Naval Museum. We elected not to tour the Wisconsin and instead chose to spend time at the US Naval Museum. What a treat! Volunteer Tony guided us through the museum telling us stories of our naval heritage that we never knew. For example, did you know that the Merrimac was actually a Union ship which the Union burned along with the Union Naval Shipyard to ensure that the Confederacy would not benefit from it. On arriving at the shipyard the Confederates found the Merrimac burned to the waterline in its dock. They hoisted her out and used the hull to construct the ironclad USS Virginia who would then serve as the Confederate defense in the famous USS Monitor vs. Merrimac (CSS Virginia) incident.

We walked Norfolk's Cannonball Trail, a self-guided walking tour which takes you to all the significant spots in the downtown area. The trail featured bronze statues of navy sailors, historic homes, the MacArthur Memorial and more. By the close of our day our feet were tired and our minds overflowing with new knowledge of our nation's history.

We took the return ferry to Portsmouth and thought our touring for the day was complete. That was before we heard bagpipes playing down the street. We followed the sounds and were treated to a performances by a troupe bagpipers, Scottish dancers, precision gun team and a Marine band. It was all a prelude to the upcoming International Tattoo festival which honors patriotism. How fun!

It had been a full day but there is so much more to see! We will conclude our trip in the Hampton Roads area with a trip to Fort Monroe. Then it will be time to begin our Chesapeake adventure.

The Admiral

4/29/2010