Norfolk - Loved it! When I woke at 6.30 this morning we were on the long approach to Norfolk, having come in from the Atlantic, then into Chesapeake Bay and finally Into the Eliabeth River to dock at the Half Moon Centre. We were parked right next to the Battleship Wisconsin and the Naval Museum. The Wisconsin was one of the largest and last battleships built by the US Navy and she served in three wars.
Our tour was called 'A Taste of Norfolk' and I think when we booked it months ago we couldn't have imagined needing tastings of anything after being on a cruise however off we went on a beautiful air conditioned bus with two lovely ladies as guides and in pleasant weather conditions for a change. It was 28C with low humidity so more to our liking. First stop was at The Hermitage, a beautiful old house built for the Sloane family in 1908. Mr Sloane was part owner of Berkeley Knitting Mill in Chesapeake whose his wife busied herself with the construction of this house. She was an avid collector of art from all around the world, there are collections from Asia, Russia and Europe. Included in the collection are paintings, sculptures, ivories, ritual bronzes, jade, Oriental rugs, tapestries, laces, embroidery and furniture.
Lunch was at Freemason Abbey restaurant, located in a 135 year old renovated church. The church was built in 1873 by the Presbyterians and in 1988 was converted to a tavern.
From here we visited a modern gallery where artists were at work. It was very interesting, some fabulous work with the artists happy to talk about their particular field.
Doumar's was our next stop and the Doumar family are famous for having created the first waffle cone for ice cream. It all began in 1904 at the St Louis State Fair when the ice cream vendor ran out of dishes for his ice cream - nearby a man was selling thin wafers made in a single waffle iron to which he added whipped cream for garnish. Long story short, Mr Doumar took a waffle, rolled it into a cone shape and the rest is history!!! The grand nephew of Abe Doumar welcomed us and made everyone a waffle on the original three irons and we took them to the counter to be filled with icecream.
Staggered back on the bus for our last attraction, the Norfolk Botanic Gardens. Wow! They were beautiful and would be even better in spring. There are 155 acres of roses, azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias and wonderful trees and shrubs from all over. Crepe Myrtle is the flower of Norfolk and there are literally thousands of them in the gardens and lining the streets of the city. They are almost at the end of their season but still lovely. We were fortunate enough to view these gardens via a little trolley car - couldn't have done it all in an hour otherwise but it would be a fabulous walk for locals.
Back on the ship just after 5 for a 6 o'clock sailing and the 'block' party again where we all stand outside our suites and have a drink and canapés and talk to our neighbours!!!
After dinner we did go to the show, was a comedian but not great. I get more laughs playing an hour of mahjong!!!
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