Day Five: Colonial Williamsburg

My group got a good preview of Colonial Williamsburg when we were wandering around town the night before.  The next day, after hearing the morning's guest lecturer, a tour guide took us on a walking tour of Colonial Williamsburg. 

We first headed to the Governor's Palace, the home of Virginia's governors during the 18th century.  The mansion has been reconstructed from its original foundation. 

 

 As we entered, we were greeted in the lobby by an extensive collection of guns!  They were meant to show off "strength" and to intimidate.

 I love this- the wig and powder room, from which we get the term "powder room."

 This original painting of King George hangs in the ball room.

 

This huge coat of arms was on the outside of the palace and is pretty symbolic.  The motto loosely translates to: God and My Right, basically the belief of the monarchy that God has given them the right to rule.

Next, we headed to the Town Jail.  The Jailer lived in the home attached to the Jail.

The longest amount of time a prisoner would be held was 14 months.  Notice the "throne" in the corner!

Near the jail was the Capitol that consisted of rooms for elected representatives to meet (House of Burgesses), a room for the Governor and his 12 appointed leaders, and a supreme court.

After our guided tour, we were given time to explore on our own.  We took our time walking down the main road.  There is so much to do here- I love how a person can learn firsthand about this time period by visiting homes of different trades (eg. wigmaker, shoemaker, tailor, or printer) and see them in action.  Everyone is in character and dressed accordingly.       

 Michelle and I goofing around in Market Square

Our group headed to lunch at Berret's and then spent the afternoon shopping in Merchants Square.  In the late afternoon, I heard some drums and fifes being played in the distance.  Rita and I went to check it out- here's what we saw coming towards us.

I was so excited- we got to watch a reenactment of the Continental Army being rounded up under the direction of General Lafayette (on his horse, speaking English with a French accent).

It was one of the highlights of the day!  The soldiers shot their guns and a cannon, too.  So cool!  

Our day ended off at the King's Tavern near the Capitol.  We were treated to a colonial style dinner, served by people dressed in character.  It was a nice way to end off our week.  We boarded our bus and were on our way to Richmond.  We had to get to the airport the next morning by 5:30am to head to Dallas.  We arrived in Fresno by 1:00pm (Pacific Time), and I was exhausted! Well, can you believe it?!  That was my week in a nutshell!