Day 1 Summary

We are safe and sound in Virginia, the first colony established in America. Upon arrival today we were promptly met by beloved bus driver/guide Bob who loaded us up onto our luxury land yacht to begin our journey through American history.

We made our way first to Norfolk, the principal seaport of Virginia. Along the way we passed by the largest naval station in the United States where we could see an anchored aircraft carrier and several other vessels. In Norfolk, we stopped at Fort Monroe which was the site of the oldest fortified position in the United States, dating back to Fort Algernon, which served as an outpost for Jamestown in 1609. (I'm excerpting here from the fabulous guidebook provided to us by Carden). We spent some time touring the fort under the guidance of a great docent and even had an opportunity to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing The Star Spangled Banner at the feet of a magnificent flagpole overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.

After our visit to the fort, we dined on delicious pizza and salad at another favorite locale, Sal's Italian restaurant before retiring to our hotel.

The students have been wonderful to travel with, so respectful of those around them and sensitive to each other's needs. On several occasions, onlookers have commented on how well-behaved they are. We're off to a GREAT start!

Here are a few additional pictures (and a video) from Day 1:

Arriving at Fort Monroe - meeting our great docent

Crossing the bridge into the Fort

View of Old Glory across the Fort moat

Average height of soldier at the time - 5'8"; You're almost there, Andrew!

Manning...er...womaning the artillery

No jail could hold these fellas

Learning more about the Fort

That's got to be one stout bench

Parting words from our docent

Flag touching the sky

"The Crew" at a Chesapeake Bay overlook

Walking along the rampart

Ahhhh, Sal's. Best pizza around!

Mmmmmm

Who's going to eat the last piece?

Looks like the ladies did pretty well, too.

I'm sure this is a lo-cal pizza, right?

Mr. Wirthlin trying to keep the troops entertained while the hotel rooms were being sorted out.