Americana, Norfolk Virginia

I love travelling by train, sit back and watch the world pass your window. I can read a book, catch up on my blogging or sleep. All this with the comfort of a food cart, wifi, plug and some walking space. This particular train takes me to the state of Virginia, Norfolk. Home to the world’s largest navy base and my friends Paul and Lindsay Mullan.

A very Americana thing to do is have the red, white and blue flag hanging from the front porch. I am welcomed to the Mullan home with the multicoloured and familiar South African flag flapping in the breeze. I can’t help smiling so high my eyes almost close.

Inside a cheese Pizza awaits my growling stomach. Paul was a native of NYC for a number a years and so he is a connoisseur of what is considered a good pizza. I finally get that perfect slice that I can fold in half and savour every bite. Of course it is washed down with a bottle of red.

We wake up to a beautiful sunny spring day and I’m in for a treat. Blueberry waffles with syrup and a good old cup of jo. A short walk from the house and I get to experience a proper Carnival. Children run around cracking confetti eggs on each other, faces painted and colour sprayed hair catching the light as they dash between adults and trees. In the corner there are pony rides and a petting zoo. Skills are tested by the variety of games available, throwing a dart at balloons, shooting hoops, coordination with the electric wire game and my favourite, hitting a lever with a ball so that someone gets dropped into a pool of water.

The walk home provides insight into another area of American life I have only observed on television…the fraternities at college. In a park an Old Dominion University Frat group have a social event that involves playing volleyball and cornhole. The atmosphere is festive with a sound system dropping beats that almost drown out the noise of chatter and laughter.

We pass houses with banners advertising their candidate for the local election, neighbours sharing sundowners on the centre island of a quiet road and a row of Tommy Bahama beach chairs at every 3rd house. The perfect place to lounge and take in the sun on this beautiful day. The houses here are in danger of flooding but it is such a lovely area, the locals just deal with the consequences of the flooding river. A bit of an adventure I guess.

The afternoon grows dark as the clouds gather to expel their burden of rain. We feel light as we share stories new and old over steaming mugs of coffee.