Rain couldn’t stop us on the tenth day of our trip as we started off the day by visiting “Nauticus”, a maritime-themed science museum, which is also home of the USS Wisconsin, one of the biggest battleships ever built.
Being one of the biggest battleships ever, the USS Wisconsin played a major role in World War II, served during Korean War and led the Navy’s surface attack on Iraq during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
In 2000 the USS Wisconsin arrived at Nauticus and became accessible for main deck tours shortly after, in 2010 the city of Norfolk eventually took ownership of the ship.
The museum itself features hands-on exhibit, interactive theaters, aquaria and digital high-definition movies.
Moreover, the unique experience of observing and even touching sharks is delivered at Nauticus as they recently added Brownbanded Bamboo Sharks, Whitespotted Bamboo Sharks and Epaulette Sharks to their museum.
Recharging Our Batteries
After exploring the museum and the USS Wisconsin for about two hours we headed to the Freemason Abbey, a 144-year-old church that was renovated and is now serving as a restaurant in order to recharge our batteries.
Having been a church the Freemason Abbey impresses with a high ceiling and beautiful architecture. Furthermore, the food is great!
Visiting The College Of William & Mary
Our next stop led us to the Collegeof William & Maryin Williamsburg. Founded in 1693, the College of William & Mary is the second-oldest university in the United States of America right after the Harvard University, which was founded in 1636.
The public research university is categorized as one of the eight “Public Ivies”, meaning it provides an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price.
Many historical and famous people graduated from the Collegeof William & Mary including three of the first ten presidents of the United States, four United States Supreme Court justices, dozens of United States senators and representatives and current entertainers.
Feeling Like Cowboys
Subsequently, we visited Colonial Williamsburg, which is a part of the city of Williamsburg that was renovated in the manner of the 18thcentury.
After strolling through the stores of Colonial Williamsburg and exploring the historical city for about an hour we headed off for the last stop of the day: The Williamsburg Premium Outlets!
We’re In Heaven
Arriving at the outlets, the place seemed to contain everything the heart desires – several stores of the most popular brands like Nike, Under Armour, Converse or Michael Kors and prices much lower than in Germany. I remember standing next to Susan who was telling the employees in one of the many shops we visited that she felt like she was “in heaven” while breathing heavily.
Résumé
The tenth day of our trip was very informative as we got to learn a lot about the American history and the USS Wisconsin at Nauticus, had the opportunity to visit the second-oldest university of the USA and we could experience the historical city of Colonial Williamsburg. The day was finalized with a great shopping adventure in Williamsburg.
Unfortunately, the weather was not the best leading to an empty city of Colonial Williamsburg and empty Williamsburg Premium Outlets.
Author: Malte Preißler // Business Administration
