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Built
during the depression years of the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation
Corps, the building is still very much as it was back then and not far
from where the first colonialists landed back in 1607. Today the
landing site, a place of tranquility and natural beauty, has become a
state park with cabins that can be rented. First Landing overlooks the world’s largest pleasure beach running almost uninterrupted for 45 kilometres from the North Atlantic right into Chesapeake Bay. Virginia is not a very large state, but besides having the largest beach, it also has perhaps the world’s longest bridge. Spanning 29 kilometres and interrupted only by two tunnels that permit open shipping lanes, it is the geographic divider between the Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay. Then there are 4233 km of scenic drives, along the coast and the interior (judging by our gas bill, we covered most of them while checking out many of the 130 or so wineries) along with 860 km of hiking trails through the Appalachian Mountains. But if the Commonwealth of Virginia of today appears to be one of natural beauty, a place to retreat from a busy lifestyle, it was not always so. It is here, amid the natural beauty of never-ending forests and rolling hills, that the majority of the terrible civil war battles took place. It was here in the wooded hills of Virginia, as the bright red sun slowly descended behind the pines, that brother fought against brother. Even if you are not a part of this miserable and unfortunate part of history, it is difficult to shed the cold and mystifying feeling that will overcome you as you stand on grounds and trenches, on which only 140 years ago, a hundred thousand young men lost their lives in battle. As the crow, or more likely, the pelican flies, the open coastline of Virginia from Virginia Beach to Chincoteague near the Delaware State line is barely 160 km. Its true coast, with every cove and bay, including the vast expanses of the Chesapeake Bay, is nearly 5000 km. Taking into account the closeness to the sea and the fact that Virginia has become green and sustainable explains the countless fine restaurants that serve some of the freshest seafood to be found anywhere. North American fast food and all-you-can-eat restaurants have not always been known for their gastronomic creations, yet with few exceptions the establishments of rural Virginia, especially those located along the seaside, have provided us with some unexpectedly outstanding fine dining experiences. Then again, Chesapeake Bay is as legendary for its seafood as for its nature. Further inland, the scene changes from the seaside to gently rolling hills with large horse farms. Almost every village and hamlet boasts a storied past. Each settlement seems to have at least one antique shop and if there are more than three blocks to its downtown or at least two traffic lights, you likely will find a museum as well. As is the case over much of the United States, admission to museums and historical sites is usually free, although visitors should be aware that historical parks, especially those that contain a civil war battlefield, close to the public at sunset. Not far from Hampton on Chesapeake Bay is where it all began - Colonial Williamsburg. If you have only one opportunity to visit a historic site, make it Colonial Williamsburg. Entering the town, you will be instantly transported into the 18th century, complete with its well-preserved homes and gardens, shops and restaurants. It is here in town, by the beat of fifes and drums that you can reexperience the life of yesterday for a few hours - a life without cars (but the smell of horses instead). It was here that our dog Eiko and I took an afternoon snooze under a large oak tree, only to wake up an hour later to find that some kind soul, perhaps one of the soldiers or one of the ladies in those long dresses had brought him a bowl of water. Heading inland, the gently rolling hills become steeper and the forests are larger. There are still miles of well-kept wooden fences. I’m not sure if it's to keep the horses from running away or to keep people out, but increasingly they are replaced by immensely long stone walls like the ones in the British Isles. It is also here in the north east, to the seaside of the Appalachian Mountain range that some of the best wines in Virginia are created. As we ascend the Appalachians on our way home, we are unexpectedly overtaken by a severe thunderstorm, short and violent, as storms often are in the mountains. As suddenly as it started, it stopped. As we looked back over Virginia, toward the distant sea, two complete rainbows formed directly in front of us - beautiful and awe-inspiring. I remembered Jeff, an elderly retiree I met a few days before by the water’s edge as we were watching some ospreys. "You know," he said, "during the sixties my girlfriend and I packed everything into our Volkswagen and did what everybody did. "We were looking for the perfect place to live, but after a few weeks we returned to Virginia and spent the rest of our lives here together, right here. We just couldn’t find a better place - a place were you are never more than two hours from the sea or from the mountains." He was right. Virginia is beautiful. GL |
Top: A magical moment over the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Step back in time in Colonial Williamsburg.  Mysterious woods ring with the songs of frogs and birds.  Elegant red and white dogwood flowers.  Original stone wall along Sunken Road – the sight of many civil war battles.
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