NORFOLK

Well, we are back in the United States!  We left Canada on September 30 and arrived in our first port of call in the United States on October 2.  Since this is a repositioning cruise, we have a limited number of stops along the way - only three on the east United States coast.  Our first is Norfolk, Virginia.  I have never visited this city, so was pleased about this stop!  We arrived at the port at 7:30 am. And was shocked to see that we are in a beautiful pier just steps from the battle ship Wisconsin and the Maritime Museum.

Here’s what the Viking Daily had to sat about this city:  With its magnificent setting on a wide natural harbor, Norfolk is home to the world’s largest naval base.  Dozens of battleships, aircraft carriers and other vessels line seven miles of wharves on the waterfront.  The city’s identity and history are closely intertwined with the US Navy and other military branches.  The Hampton Roads Naval Museum provides a historic overview of the Navy’s role during wartime.  Norfolk is also the resting place of General Douglas MacArthur, the much-decorated US Army commander.

Today, Mark and I did an optional tour called “Downtown Norfolk by Foot”.  We walked along the pier and boardwalk, viewed the Battleship Wisconsin, the Pagoda Garden and the Old Historic Fremason District, famous for its cobblestone street. (Freemason Street) At one time this street was paved over and later when revitalization of the area occurred, pavement was removed and the cobblestones put back in place.  It is a charming area and I couldn’t help but to take a ton of photos.  Charming houses and gardens are my favorite parts of cities!

Our guide said that years ago Norfolk was called the “Mermaid City” and now they have mermaid statues all over. Here are some that I saw along our walk……

The Battleship Wisconsin and The Nautica Museum was right next to our ship.  The Wisconsin was SO BIG!

The Pagoda Garden was built on a former area along the pier that had come to disarray.  The Pagoda itself was a gift from Tawain with the caveat that it would be a public park for people to enjoy all the amenities that the harbor had to offer.  The city government complied and added the beautiful park around the pagoda, full of pathways, flowers, fountains and even a coy pond.

After enjoying the Pagoda Gardens, we wandered over to the Historic Freemason District.  Charming!  This was my favorite part of the tour!  Here are some of the homes:

We walked by a museum and a couple of churches.

The following photos show the third church that we visited.  It is the most well-known old church in Norfolk - St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, built in 1739 and the only colonial-era building to survive the Revolutionary War. The church has a cannonball from the 1776 attack still embedded in its wall!  The old cemetery surrounds the church.  Later, the church was added on to, complete with the Tiffany stained glass window.

Our tour stopped at the Moses Myers House.  Moses Myers was a shipping merchant/businessman.  He selected this location for his home because this was one of the first places to insure religious freedom.  He was Jewish.  Mr. Myers lived here with his wife and nine children. Much of the furnishings are original to the home.

After touring this lovely home we made our way back to the ship.  We walked by some government buildings and I was able to get a few photos.  

After we arrived back to the ship, we had lunch and I decided to stay on board and read.  Mark ventured out again and toured the Battleship Wisconsin.  He wanted to me to add some photos of his adventure!

We both enjoyed Norfolk very much and it is certainly a city we would recommend visiting!  Onward to our next US port!