Day 19: At Norfolk, VA

We leave the marina and Uber out to a nearby car rental agency. We're intent on a trip out of town to Colonial Williamsburg and perhaps Yorktown. It is not to be... there are no cars available. We later find that naval personnel and dockyard workers are a BIG customer of the smaller agencies. We could go out to the airport and get one of the big names (and probably some Frequent Flyer or AAdvantage points for Ferg), but we decide it's too far. We may have dodged a bullet, as the highways are said to have been very busy.

So, we call up another Uber and head downtown to the Visitor's Centre for some local advice. They're excellent, and so is the centre. We're directed a short stroll to the Nauticus Museum and the battleship USS Wisconson. We leave the Visitor's Centre, and stop five doors down at a D'Egg diner where we have what was supposed to be 'smoko', but turned into an early lunch due to the extended time for the orders to arrive at the table, then another block to the Nauticus Museum. The interpretive displays and activities in this museum are simply incredible. No wonder there are school parties being bussed in. We are able to fit in a too-brief look around the Wisconson before we have to make our way over to the nearby wharf to embark upon a 2-hr harbour cruise. This concentrates on the military history of this fascinating naval town, and we see and learn about many vessels currently in port, and some of the shipyard maintenance processes. The size and scale of the USN footprint here is breathtaking.

We grab some grocery items at a convenience store downtown, call an Uber, and head back to the marina.Läs mer