We did a thing last week. For many months Hub and I had reservations for a flight and lodging to visit Williamsburg, Virginia. I have an interest in Revolutionary War history and the founding of our (already great) nation. Plus we had expiring air miles and timeshare points to use up. We got out the map and decided on this trip as a diverting spring getaway. No big expectations; just a place to go that we'd not been before and pretty easy to organize and navigate.
On Hub's St. Patrick's Day birthday Son One and Granddaughter Two showed up with BD goodies and happy smiles. No sooner was our granddaughter in the door than she sat next to me on the sofa and started rapping songs from the Broadway musical, "Hamilton". I knew she had seen the movie version of the play on Disney channel more than once. (She likes to watch her faves over and over). I didn't know she was a wee bit obsessed! She proceeded to tell me all she'd learned from the movie; it was impressive to hear from an 11-year-old. Art as education. She asked me to take her to the library to check out books on Hamilton, both Alexander and Eliza.
When they left, I turned to Hub and he to me and simultaneously we agreed she had to come to Williamsburg with us. Had to! It seemed impulsive, so we slept on it. We had, after all, made all the arrangements just for the two of us. We had our red-eye flight and premium seats reserved, our one- bedroom villa waiting. A week away with a 5th grader had not been part of the plan. Plus she'd be part of the time on Spring Break, but also would miss two additional school days because of the dates we had chosen. But we also felt like this could possibly be a memorable trip for all of us, so the next day we called her parents and got the excited go-ahead to invite her. She was thrilled!
Hub was able to change airline seats so we could all share a row. We tried to get a two-bedroom unit at our lodging but no luck, so we told her she would have a fold-out bed from the sofa and we'd all have to share a bathroom; she was unfazed.
The first week of April, off we went on our grand adventure. We flew into Washington D.C., arriving at 5:30 a.m. a bit bleary-eyed and hungry. Hub and I would have skipped the tourist stops, having been to DC a few times previously, and driven straight to Williamsburg. But how could we be right there and not show our girl the sights, at least for a few hours. We picked up our rental car and drove to downtown D.C. We had a mediocre breakfast near the Washington Monument then took off on foot for a nearly 6 mile walking tour of monuments and memorials. (No time for museums, unfortunately. We told her all about the Smithsonian, but had no time to explore them.)
She was open-mouthed thrilled with it all, as one can be on their first time in D.C. But for her, all the "Hamilton" references were her favorites -- things she'd heard of in her Disney Channel studies. (She said she has had no history of any kind in elementary school, and it showed. She asked lots of basic questions about the famous buildings and monuments not referenced in Hamilton.) She seemed to appreciate our Cliff 's Notes version of history and the significance of what she was seeing, but maybe she was just being polite. LOL
Leaving late-afternoon, we had a 3 hour drive to Williamsburg and were glad to arrive and settle in for the rest of the week. I'll not recount every moment of every day. But overall, it was a little slice of perfection, with minimal stresses and fatigues along the way. I recall only three very brief times of annoyance, frustration, or disagreement, which is remarkable for three people in close proximity for a whole week, with varying degrees of energy, interest, and age.
We were all mesmerized by Colonial Williamsburg. So many people had told me they'd been there and enjoyed it. The first day we took in several actor portrayals of Founding Fathers and it was hard to stick to a timed schedule with venues for these performances spaced geographically apart. We saw little trade shops but passed them by, since no doors were open and they didn't look welcoming. We had an overpriced not-that-great lunch. We spent a great deal of time in a museum that was interesting in some ways but also less than thrilling. I didn't understand what the fuss was about and why Williamsburg was so beloved. Silly me.
Then back to Williamsburg for two more days and this time we totally "got" the charm. We had leisurely days of exploration, visited most of the trade shops and talked with each proprietor and tradesperson. Our girl asked questions and was completely enthralled with everything from wool spinning to tin-smithing to nature medicines in the apothecary. She is reading an anime book series called Apothecary Diaries and was surprisingly conversant with the medical historian who ran the shop. (In fact, we tried to return the next day, our girl with notebook in hand to take notes, but alas the shop was closed.) We saw more performances by excellent actors as Washington, Layafette, Jefferson, etc. and other small one-act plays of American history.
Every single person working at Williamsburg is professional and authentic. They are not just tourist hosts putting on a costume, they actually are masters or apprentices of the 18th century trades they work. Entering their shops is like entering as one would in those times as they welcome visitors and explain what they are doing as they work, rarely breaking character. Impressive.
But best of all was our time with our granddaughter and allowing her the freedom and encouragement to have her own (albeit supervised) experience. The unspoken plan became, "anything she wants to do" . We rarely said no to anything and rarely imposed our own agenda. We were eager and amiable companions traveling together. It helps that she is funny, smart, considerate, polite, and engaged. She is such a role model for me to find delight in life. I envy her outgoing personality (she talked to everyone!) and her confidence. She fully trusts the world to be a good place and that she has a right to enthusiastically engage with that world.
On the way home we had a slight glitch in that we had to buy her an "unaccompanied minor" airline ticket because our seats were in the exit row and she couldn't sit with us due to her age. I immediately assumed this would make her nervous and unhappy to have to be alone or sit with strangers, but she had no qualms. When boarding she found out she would have the very last row of the plane all to herself; she was beside herself with excitement!
Before we knew it, she had befriended a younger boy and taken him under her wing, offering him a seat next to her for awhile until he returned to his mother, and giving him a shell she'd picked up on the trip. At the end of the flight the mother handed our girl a Thank You card from her and her son (her words, with his drawing of himself with our girl), which brought tears to my eyes.
We took lots of photos during the week to document the trip. We debriefed regularly about the day's events and our reactions to them. My motive for this review was to try to cement this trip in her memory. I think she will remember it, although details will fade over time. I know that I will remember it always as a family-life highlight.
So, thank you Lin-Manuel Miranda. I'm so grateful for this shared little slice of American and family history -- and that we didn't "throw away our shot" at having this special time together.
At least, that's the view from here...©
Top Photo: She's bravely ready to enter a "haunted house" on our nighttime Williamsburg ghost tour!
Middle Photo: Striking the iconic "Hamilton" pose at Yorktown battlefield.
Bottom Photo: A sweet thank you from strangers on the plane.
