After coffee and getting dressed my car was loaded and I was looking for a place to have some good old American pancakes before driving to Virginia Beach and the Wingate Wyndham hotel, my next hotel for 2 days. On my way, my first stop was Jamestown, an archaeological site of the first English settlements in America in 1607. This was an interesting place with a very informative museum explaining the life and history of the first 104 settlers from Great Britain from the Virginia Company and the first African slaves who established a settlement they called Jamestown, with the aim to find resources and make a profit. The first settlers also had to cohabit with the indigenous Indians, including a young Indian girl called Pocahontas. Pocahontas eventually married one of the settlers. These settlements of indigenous Indians, Englishman and Africans formed communities, societies and cultures that grew and went on to form the USA of today.
I continued my drive to the third and last destination of the famous historic triangle, Yorktown. This town lies on the mouth of the Potomac River on Chesapeake Bay. It has a small but beautiful seaside front and a quaint little main street with some interesting buildings from the 1780, including a very well maintained customs house. These was also a monument to celebrate the victory of the allied armies of the American, and French troops against the British garrison at Yorktown. This battle marked the independence of the USA. The subsequent failure of Britain to declare war on the rebels allowed the USA to build its strength and secure its independent future. Near the town is the battlefield on which the important battle was lost by the British. The French Naval blockade of the British Yorktown garrison, denying reinforcements secured the fate of the British.
After all these visits to historical sites it was 6 pm and I still needed to drive all the way to my next hotel in Virginia Beach; the drive took me a further 45 minutes. After checking in and dropping my bags at the hotel I was back on the road heading for the ocean front beach, some 16 miles away. When I arrived I was very disappointed to say the least if not horrified! Virginia Beach seemed to be a 70’s version of a mix between Brighten and Ibiza. It was full of loud young tattooed people, street performers, arcades and fast food restaurants. The ocean front hotels were of such low quality the whole town was so depressing I had to turn around immediately and return to the hotel.
It was 9 pm and I still had not found a place to eat, so I first went to the Aberdeen Barn Steakhouse opposite the hotel for a salad. I informed the hotel receptionist that I would only stay one night and check out early. I had no intention of staying in this hell hole any longer than I had to. After dinner I set about booking my next hotel on the internet and finally went to bed at midnight.