Travels with Owen

Colonial Williamsburg replay

We decided to spend a little more time in colonial Williamsburg today before the kids headed to Busch gardens.

The weaver demonstrating the spinning machine

Jamestown settlement

This living-history museum tells the story of America’s first permanent English colony. It gives an excellent overview of the people involved, their conflicts, and the methods used .

Displays like these explain the different groups that intersected during the colonization of Virginia.

Ray learning about farming during the Powhaten era

Hard to believe that these small boats carried settlers across the ocean

Climbing the rigging– in modern climbing gear– unlike the settlers of the time who did it without any gear at all .

Ray posing in the church doorway to give size perspective

Soldiers would climb on the raised deck and shoot through the square holes

We got a lovely day to explore the reenactments at colonial Williamsburg. We have two young kids with us so we got a 7 day unlimited Busch gardens/colonial Williamsburg pass. Pricey, but probably the only viable option with the kids. We walked from the visitor center, explored a maze in the gardens, and then started exploring the reconstructed community.

Horses and carriages ride around the area

Preparing a traditional dinner for the governor and his guests

Telling the story of printing in colonial America

If you’re coming here and have mobility issues, be aware that a historic village is not very disability friendly. There are mobility scooters for rent, but you will still need to get out and climb some stairs to see the reenactors or to get food and drink.

We had a great time but the kids were tired and hungry. We stopped at the Kings inn tavern for lunch,and we were entertained by musicians and ate a delicious meal. Do ask for the kids meal if you’re with kids.

Then we caught the shuttle back to the visitor center and went back to our apartment to relax.

Virginia bound

What a crazy day. We got up at 4 am to catch our flight which is not an easy task for a morning zombie like me. At the airport. Only 2 of the many American airlines baggage checking kiosks were working. Not sure what was up with that.

The flight to Dallas Fort Worth was fine but when we got to our gate after grabbing lunch from California pizza, our flight kept getting delayed and delayed. Finally, after an hour and a half, we had a plane. Then another wait to get a missing stewardess or steward. We all cheered when the final stewardess joined the crew. Two-plus hours later, we finally took off. Hooray!

We arrived in Richmond, got our luggage, and went to Budget’s fastbreak, which wasn’t very fast that evening. The electric car we had ordered wasn’t charged, so we ended up getting a gas powered SUV as it was available without any more waiting (getting up this point had taken about 20 minutes ). So we got our rental and drove to the historic Powhaten resort in Williamsburg. It is available through Hilton https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/phfpogv-hilton-vacation-club-the-historic-powhatan-williamsburg/   But one can also rent through redweek (a timeshare rental option for timeshare owners) https://www.redweek.com/ or other booking sites. This time of year is shoulder season so a 4 bedroom is decidedly affordable if one looks around. The apartment is two full 2-bedroom apartments, both with kitchens, washer dryers, dining and living areas and patios. One is upstairs, the other downstairs, and a tight staircase connects them. In our case, the two beds upstairs were a king and queen, and downstairs was a king and two twins. There’s also a fold out couch bed on each floor. The entry feels a little boxy, but overall it’s a very workable layout for families with kids.

There are lots of great kid friendly activities on site from an indoor pool and hot tubs (and outdoor pools in warmer weather), miniature golf, fishing, (catch and release), a playground, an activity center, and lots of walking and hiking trails. There’s also a coffee shop, and a bar and grill (closed Monday and Tuesday during the time we were here.)

After playing with our grandkids and reading them bedtime stories, our long day caught up with us and we retired to our comfortable bed.

Heading home

Snapped this Pic(montblanc ) for my pen club

Luca was waiting for me at home.

Jaipur Jaunts

The Amber Fort/Palace

The Amber Fort was constructed in 1592 AD by Raja Man Singh, the Rajput commander of Akbar’s army. It is a beautiful example of indo-islamic architecture, fashioned out of yellow and pink sandstone.

The City Palace

CITY PALACE

Located deep within the walled city, the City Palace Complex was conceived and built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur. A beautiful fusion of Mughal and Rajput architecture, the palace is still home to the last ruling royal family. It is also used for movie making as shown in the pics below.

These two pieces show the making of a “horse” movie

Jantar Mantar Observatory

Amazing sundial and other astronomical instruments built by the Rajput King Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Jaipur, the pink city that is a UNESCO site

Jaipur, India is known as the “Pink City” because in 1876, Prince of Wales, Lord Albert Edward, painted the city pink to welcome Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert. The city still maintains its pink hue today.

At a Disney version of Holi– tours seem concerned for our safety if we mixed with the street-side celebrations we can see driving through town.

Everyone in our silly outfits throwing pigment

Our group looking colorful. Most of us were still wearing some color a couple of weeks later.

Sightseeing near Agra

Chand Baori Step Well

At the bottom of this well, the temperature was as much as 42 f cooler than at the top. A step well works differently than other wells. Instead of drawing the water up from the well, the people go down the steps and reach the water. This is one of the largest and deepest examples in India.

Agra’s Red Fort – UNESCO site

Only a small portion of the fort is open to visitors. It is easy to imagine how impregnable Mughal emperors felt in this massive fort.

The Taj Mahal, a UNESCO site

Shah Ja built the Taj Mahal to honor his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Considered an architectural masterpiece, it was built between 1631 and 1653.

Sadly, according to oral history, the shah got to watch the last phases of construction from his cell, as his son took over the kingdom and imprisoned his father.

We decided to join the other tourists in front of the Taj

Agra adventures

The Baby Taj

The Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula’s in Agra, only a short distance from the Taj Mahal, is nicknamed the ‘Baby Taj’ as it is thought to have been the model for the Taj Mahal. It is also called the ‘jewel box’.