I am not much of a beach person - but sometimes there is such joy in being on a beach! Even for just a few hours, hearing the roar of the waves as they roll in and out, it can be so peaceful. I certainly enjoyed our weekend in Virginia Beach and especially enjoyed the waves rolling in and out!
We rode down to Virginia Beach with my parents on Friday night and arrived shortly after 10 PM - so it wasn't too bad of a drive (I say this as a passenger - but it seemed alright). We stayed at the Surfbreak Hotel, which was right on the beach and we were lucky enough to be on the seventh floor, so the views were incredible! I suppose since Ryan and I get up shortly after 5 AM during the week - we both woke up shortly before 6 AM on Saturday and crept out onto the balcony to watch the sun come up!
After getting ready and grabbing a quick breakfast from the front desk, we headed to NAS Oceana, the real reason that we came to Virginia Beach! The NAS Oceana Air Show was this past weekend and so we went to see the F-22 and the US Navy Blue Angels, as well as plenty of other planes, zooming around in the sky and performing death-defying feats of flight.
We perused all the static displays and the multitude of booths selling anything and everything you could think of - including a really cool booth dedicated to reading, which I loved! We had some pizza for lunch, applied plenty of sunscreen and watched all the planes swoop, spin and roll throughout the day. The air show started around 10:30 and went until a little after 4:00, so it took up most of the day.
The Blue Angels closed out the show and then it was back to the beachfront for dinner and a walk on the beach! We ate at Waterman's Surfside Grille and the food and service were both stellar - I'd highly recommend this spot if you're ever in Virginia Beach! The restaurant is family-owned and all the food is incredibly tasty! Not to mention - the beautiful beach front location makes for a wonderful ambience.
Once we finished our delicious dinner, Ryan and I headed for the beach front to walk back to the hotel along the beach and I enjoyed every moment of our walk. Racing into the surf, watching the sand pipers rushing back and forth as the waves rolled in, watching my goofy husband run away from the waves as they encroached on him... in his sneakers!
The sandpipers were the funniest thing I think I've ever seen - I absolutely loved them! They would race after the waves as they went out, poking their little beaks into the holes that would pop up as the waves receded, looking for a bite to eat. Then, when the waves would rush back in, they would flee away from the foam, making sure it never touched their teeny feet. And they would do this over and over and over again!
I guess the airshow and the delicious dinner just did me in - because I fell asleep before 9:30 and slept like the dead, ha-ha! Ryan and I woke up again shortly after 6 AM and this time, we headed down to the beach, padded across the chilly sand and (I) plopped down on the beach to watch the sun come up. Ryan didn't want to get sand on his butt - but I wasn't too worried, ha-ha!
We got to witness another spectacular sunrise - it was a wonderful moment and will be a precious memory. Sitting on the beach at sunrise with my favorite person in the world and a cup of blueberry coffee. What could be better? After getting ourselves put together for the day, we cruised around to see the Neptune statue and the US Navy Seal statue before getting breakfast at Mary's Restaurant - another spot I would highly recommend! It's classic diner food with excellent service and divine meals! It was a perfect breakfast spot!
We made another quick stop at the Cape Henry Lighthouse - supposedly the spot of the first landing site of settlers en route to Jamestown to settle the first colony. Ryan and I elected to climb the 191 steps to the top of the original lighthouse to see what we could see - and while I didn't love that the steps had open space in between each step - I conquered my fears and made it to the top! The views were beautiful and I'm so glad we were able to take the time to see the views from the top!
Our final stop was at Langley AFB to visit with some family friends and get an up close look at the F-22 Raptor! We were able to learn a little more about the plane and snap pictures (from a distance) before heading to the BX (base exchange) to peruse the goods and then drive home.
We made a dinner stop in Fredericksburg at the Sunken Well Tavern (another very tasty spot) before arriving home around 8:15. It was such a great weekend - it just passed too quickly! Isn't that always the case though?
It was a delightfully lovely weekend!
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