Gryphon and Loch Ness Monster
Alpengeist and Apollo’s Chariot
We conquered all of the roller coasters with great valor! The RB’s favorite Busch Gardens coaster was the Gryphon. The cart consisted of three rows of stadium seating, all on one pedestal. The ride is so smooth that, as the ride dipped and flipped, you got the sensation of flying. Bilbo was especially thankful for the smoothness after the Loch Ness Monster jammed his back.
The brave crew next filed into the motion simulator, Europe in the Air, which takes you on a flying tour over Europe’s most famous sites. After the roller coasters this should be a piece of cake, right? WRONG! The ride was so jerky and the video was so sporadic that it made all of us sick. Nobody lost their lunch, which had been Italian, but we were light headed and nauseated for quite some time after that. In order to walk it off, we strolled through the Clydesdale stables and looked around a few shops, because the Cake Queen loves her shops.
With our flight induced malady alleviated, it was time for dinner at the German themed Festhaus! Bilbo and the Conductor both get excited over German food, so they were happy! Dinner came with a show of German song and dance. The show began with a lederhosen toatin’ band playing some old German tunes. They were doing a great job and everyone seemed to be enjoying them. Then, the stage rose and the band disappeared. Don’t worry, though! The show was not over yet! The music continued and singer/dancers entered from every angle to offer a very…umm…flirtatious representation of traditional song and dance. Towards the end of the show, the dance partners broke apart and began to enlist dancers from the audience. In their infinite kindness, Bilbo and the Shrimp Meister volunteered me. They were robbed of my embarrassment, though, because I already knew how to dance the Polka…and they forgot to take a picture. HA!
Our first afternoon was spent on the main strip of VA Beach. I think that the general feeling among the ranks was fatigue, so we spent most of that day laying on our beach towels and watching the waves roll in. The Shrimp Meister and the Conductor tried to brave the waves, but the water was just too chilly that day and the sun was hiding. Despite the coolness of the afternoon, the atmosphere at the beach was busy and fun! There were inflatable jumpers and slides set up and plenty of sun-lovers were having a good time.
Our sun kissed bellies started to become hungry as the day drew to a close, so we packed-up, changed clothes, and headed to Margie and Ray’s Crab House. See, I told you there would be a trip to Margie and Ray’s! As I mentioned before, we were excited for dinner that night because our college buddy and future nanny, Sassy Red, was coming to dinner with us! She always seems to live so far away from us, so it great when we are able to visit! (I miss you already, friend!)
In my opinion, the best dish at Margie and Ray’s is the grilled Mahi-mahi! It is so smoky and tender and just plain good! I get it almost every time, and regret when I don’t. The rest of the fish-eaters enjoyed their food, too. Bilbo got the fried fish of the day (I think it was grouper), the Shrimp Meister was in shrimp heaven with his shrimp platter, and the Conductor and the Cake Queen shared an enormous sampler platter with fried fish, shrimp, clams, and I don’t know what else. It was quite the impressive platter! I can’t believe we forgot to take a picture of it!
The next day, we took the family to First Landing Sea Shore. Due to the previous day’s cool water, the Shrimp Meister was in need of a new form of beach entertainment. The logical solution…sandcastles! The Cake Queen bought him a few different castle molds, a shovel, a bucket, and a sand sifter. Once the chairs were unfolded, the umbrella planted, and the towels laid, the Conductor and Bilbo set to the task of teaching the Shrimp Meister how to build a sandcastle. He seemed interested at first, then he met the sand sifter. After that, he was lost to the pursuit of shark teeth. He has a history of finding shark teeth, but had no luck this time. So, the sandcastle became the conquest of Bilbo and the Conductor, while the Cake Queen and I soaked up the sun.
The new kingdom built and a good day spent at the beach, we headed to dinner. That evening’s fare was taken in at Oceans and Ale. It was another Trip Advisor recommendation and it met the Conductors stipulation of steak, the Shrimp Meister’s stipulation of shrimp, and the rest of our stipulations of food. We were all very hungry!
When we walked in, I knew that the place had to be good due to the number of people there. We waited only 30 minutes, though, before we settled in. The Conductor got his steak, Bilbo got fish tacos, The Cake Queen got chicken , and I got a big burger…but the best dish of all was the Shrimp Meister’s seafood mac and cheese. Oh my goodness! I don’t know how to describe it except to say, “YUM!” Everyone else enjoyed their meals, but longed to have the mac and cheese.
This lovely meal was the capstone to our VA beach visit. The next morning we cleaned up, packed up, and headed to Charlottesville for a tour of Monticello. The lovely Honda was set with a new battery, as the battery had died as soon as we got to the condo. Maybe its death on the ferry wasn’t Bilbo’s fault after all…
Only one blog left in the VA vacation series, and just in time! In just a few hours, we will be headed to New England! This is the leg of the trip that I have been looking most forward to, so I can’t wait! We won’t be sticking to the original plan. Unfortunately, the RV needs a new part and it won’t be in for another week. We don’t want to get behind, so we are going to spend another month living out of the Honda. Crazy? Maybe, but we have found out what we actually need for a month in a small sedan, so it’s not quite so packed. My only regret is that we have to leave the kitties with my parents for another month. I think they’ll enjoy that more than the RV anyways. Until next time…
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