Portsmouth, Virginia Beach and Norfolk, VA

We arrived at the Portsmouth Moose Lodge, where they have a pool. I don't think they have used this pool in a long, long time.

At the lookout for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel, Fancy tried to make friends with this little crab. No, she didn't get her nose pinched and Max was able to convince the little crab it would be better off next to the shore and not up in the parking lot.

Norfolk Naval Base is the largest naval base in the world with over 54,000 personnel. They give tours and even allowed a few pictures.

Two aircraft carriers were in port, the USS Eisenhower and the USS Enterprise. Several other ships were also in port as well. Five of the 12 aircraft carriers call Norfolk Naval Base their home.

They also had quite a contingent of helicopters based here as well.

The Navy's version of the Airborne Warning and Control aircraft.

This home is base housing for one of the many generals assigned to this base. It is one of many buildings built in the early 1900s for a world's fair held at this site.

In old downtown Norfolk you will find some interesting architecture, like this old church.

But this is not a church anymore, but a restaurant, where we had a wonderful lunch. It was once an abbey, hence the name Freemason Abbey Restaurant.

Norfolk is also home to the largest naval shipyard in the world. Here are two supply ships under retrofit.

In Old Portsmouth the streets are lined with older homes like this. Most have now been turned into apartments and condos. Portsmouth has a history in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Most of these homes actually date from the 1830s or newer since much of the town was burnt to the ground during the Revolutionary War.

You can't come to this area without visiting Virginia Beach. It was quiet and most things were closed since the season is over.

This former Life Saving Station now sits in the middle of high rise hotels and condo's on the boardwalk in Virginia Beach.

Neptune stands tall on the boardwalk.

One of the most prestegious hotels in Virginia Beach.

At the end of the point, on Fort Story which is an active base, is Cape Henry lighthouse, built in 1792.

It has now been replaced with this lighthouse, located across the street.

Memorial to Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse, captain of the French Fleet which stopped the English Fleet from rescuing British General Cornwallis. This allowed American General George Washington to defeat Cornwallis at Yorktown, effectively ending the American Revolution.

Memorial for all the colonists who first stepped foot on American soil in 1607. They landed first at Cape Henry before settling at Jamestown.