Well, the good thing about this place was that there was an elevator and that the staff was nice. Our room however was not very clean. There was cigarette ashes on the floor, cigarette burns in the furniture and television. The sheets were clean though which was the only reason why I didn't ask for a new room plus I'm in general not that kind of person anyways, and I am a smoker myself, but that was a little too much if you ask me. After opening the window, which was possible, thank god, the air in the room got better as well. But all in all, for a motel that wants to charge you $80 a night, you think they could at least make sure that the surfaces are clean and put an ashtray in a smoker room so people don't ash on the floor and burn furniture instead. Well I am no animal so I used a plastic cup with water in it. And again I realize that I should have asked for those things but I think they should be done without having to ask for them. :-) No idea what the non smoking rooms are like so I can't comment on that. I was just glad that my car was still there and in one piece in the morning.

It had been 16 months since my last vacation so I thought it would be a good time for another.  I took Friday off and we headed to Norfolk, my hometown

We took an unexpected tour of the outer areas of Wilmington.  After 30 minutes of exploring and eventually finding an exit where we could turn back around, we finally managed to get out of the city.  Woohoo Virginia, here we come

I booked a Riverview room at the Holiday Inn PORTSMOUTH-OLDE TOWNE WTRFRNT with my priority club points.  I expected to get a room next to an elevator and close to the noisy bar.  On the contrary, it was on the 5th of 6 floors and away from the elevator.  The room had a great view of the Tidewater Yacht Marina next door and also a view of the Waterside.  The front desk clerk was very nice and gave us a coupon for a free breakfast at the restaurant.

The plan was to have dinner at the Bier Garden with my cousin, his girlfriend and her daughter.  So my husband and I got there early and they were packed.  We're used to going out just the two of us with no reservations required.  Change of plans, dinner ended up at Roger Brown's Restaurant and Sports Bar. 

We stayed at the Bier Garden while we waited to meet our party at Roger Brown's.  We ordered a platter of cheese and sausages.  The other appetizer was a dish of cheese and fruits.  We never order fruits but this was an exception.  It had these little Kiwi looking fruits which I didn't care for.  It didn't taste like Kiwi.  The strawberries were really good even though they were out of season.  My husband had a few German beers, of course. 

I asked the bartender if they had Tennents in a bottle hidden somewhere since there were none to be found.  He said that Tennets are no longer distributed in the area.  In Portsmouth I asked him, he said no.  In Hampton Roads I asked, negative on that as well.  Ugh!  Turns out this English bartender is also a Tennents fan.  Nice   He recommended Spaten Lager.  I found a new beer that I really like, which just happens to be rarer than Tennents.  I think I need to move to Europe

As it was nearing our 7pm dinner engagement, we moved on to Roger Brown's.  While we waited, my husband had another beer there.  For dinner, we were seated at a round table in the corner of a dining room.  The room was not so full and the noise level was low since it was separated from the bar. 

After dinner, my husband and I took a leisurely stroll back to our hotel.  The Olde Towne Ghostwalk was held that evening.  There were many groups of people walking around or gathered at old houses and historic buildings.  At each site they stopped, they were told of stories that have haunted Portsmouth's history.  The guides were dressed in costumes of old.  We even heard a ghost lurking about behind the bush of a house we passed

We then went on to The Deck Restaurant located at the marina next to our hotel.  The place was not at all busy.  When we walked in "Purple Rain" by Prince was playing and I thought of Hans   The music selection was good then Karaoke started and every singer decided to sing some country tunes.  I tolerated it as we finished our beers

It was a rainy day with a bit of humidity in the air.  But all in all, it was a pleasant day.

Located in the Historic Downtown District, this restaurant and sports bar usually has plenty of customers. With 16,000 square feet, there is always seating available. They have a huge bar in the center of the restaurant with 60 bar stools around it. There is a dining room that is partially separated by a wall but no doors. Tucked away in the back is the Pool room and arcade area with 6 pool tables, TV’s and arcade games. They also have a Wii room and XBox room. The last time I came here, I ordered a "Grilled Pork Chop" with Mashed Potatoes on the side. It was pretty tasty and tender. Someone in my party ordered. Someone in my party ordered a "Chicken and Waffle" dish. It is golden fried chicken breasts layered on top of a sweet, double thick waffle and topped with maple syrup, cinnamon buttered apples and honey butter. I love fried chicken but doused in syrup just wasn't my thing. My husband ordered the “Anytime, Prime Time, Prime Rib Hoagie" a slow-roasted prime rib, shaved thin and served with roasted vegetables, Mozzarella cheese and au jus served on a French roll. It's a good place to visit if you want American or Southern food. The staff here has always been friendly with each of my visits.

After a day in Norfolk, we spent the evening in downtown Portsmouth.  It was Trick-or-Treat night on High Street with all the restaurants and shops participating.  We picked the wrong time to visit Virginia.  We had to dodge ghost, pirates, witches and vampires but eventually made our way stumbling into the entrance of our targeted destination, The Bier Garden.  Schnitzels finally! 

We started with Schnitzel Bites and a platter of cheese and sausage.  It tasted like Salami in cubed form.  My entree was the Sausage Platter which composed of 4 items.  It had Bratwurst, Knackwurst, another sausage and something that tasted more like a hot dog.  My husband ordered Strammer Max, a fried egg on top of a Leberkäse.  It's a German meatloaf but looks more like a very thick Spam.  The place became even more packed the later it got.  We stayed there until we had our fill of beer 

We did see Britney Spears before we left.  Well, a wanna be.  It was this really tall dude, 6ft at least and built.  He had on torn fishnet stockings, black very short shorts, a black brassiere and carried a doll.  Of course I had to wonder if he had anything on under those shorts.  If you've been watching the news, any news, you'd know what I'm talking about.  It was the best costume around with the blonde wig and the huge tattoo on his back 

After more walking around stumbling on mini goblins flying from shop to shop, we decided we had enough of the cops on horses and the Ghost Tour guides and their ever so faithful followers.  We went to The Deck Restaurant again. 

But before we got there, we passed a coffee shop that put chains around their chairs and tables that were left outside.  I just had to take a picture for Hans because of a previous comment he made about one of my Wilmington photos.  There were less people than the night before at The Deck Restaurant.  No more country karaoke, yay.  I was ready to go back to the room so after 1 beer, we left 

After finally having our long awaited German grub, we slept well on our last night in Hampton Roads 

The Paddlewheel Ferry transports up to 150 passengers across the Elizabeth River. The paddle-wheel ferry boats are the world's first natural gas-powered pedestrian ferry. It travels between Portsmouth and Norfolk. The ports in Olde Towne Portsmouth are on North Landing and High Street. In Downtown Norfolk, the pick-up and drop-off point is at The Waterside. The ferry operates every 30 minutes and during special events or peak times on weekends, it is every 15 minutes. It is the easiest way to get around from one downtown to the next. You avoid the tunnel and all the traffic around it. If you are in Portsmouth and decide to watch the Norfolk Tides play at Harbor Park, affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, then you might consider the ferry to avoid the after game rush out of the parking lot. The Harbor Park Ferry runs every 30 minutes between North Landing in Portsmouth and Harbor Park in Norfolk. The service begins one hour before game time and continues after the game ends. Cash Fare: $1.00 Seniors and persons with disabilities: 50¢

There is a nice little family owned German restaurant on the main street of downtown Portsmouth, VA not UK. This is true German cuisine. The entrance is lined with flowers. They have indoor seating and outdoor. There is a varied selection of Vorspeiße or Appetizers. Brotzeit Teller is a selection of lunch meats served with bread and cheese. Another popular one is Schnitzel Bites. You can get a platter of Cheese and Fruit as well. Their Spezial Gerichte, or Entrees, is filled with German specialties. This is where I get my Jagerschnitzel, seasoned pork loin topped with mushroom gravy. They also serve Chicken Cordon Blue or Fried Flounder. Belegte Brötchen or Sandwiches are plentiful. There's a Schnitzel Reuben which is schnitzel, of course, served with sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. Leberwurst is served open face with onion, which personally is not my thing. Four types of Deutsche Wurst, German Sausages are on the menu. You can get them individually or a platter of Bratwurst, Bauernwurst, Knackwurst and Wienerwurts. The Bratwursts are just like the ones in Germany, so I've been told. There are a few Vegetarian Dishes for those who prefer it. It wouldn't be a German restaurant if it didn't have Warsteiner or Bitburger. They also have a large selection of bottled beers and several on draft. This is a great restaurant with a friendly atmosphere and good food. I always make it a point to stop by there when I'm in town.

I had a long weekend off from TN, so I drove over to visit my cousin before she and her family move to Japan!  Coming in on I-64, you cross a long bridge-tunnel.  When I saw the directions, I wondered what a bridge-tunnel even was!  The highway actually goes through a tunnel UNDER the Chesapeake Bay!  This allows ships to pass over without needing tall bridges or drawbridges.  The tunnels have flood walls that close to keep them (relatively) dry during flooding from storms.  After you emerge from the tunnel, you find yourself on a long bridge (this one was about 4 miles).  Scary!  I'm not a huge fan of water or bridges, so I drove really fast over it. 

They have a great apartment - top floor of the building, with a great view.  The apartment is right on the Elizabeth River and we took a ferry over to Norfolk, just across the river, for dinner.  There is a nice seawall walk along the river as well.  We didn't actually do much in Portsmouth - walked around, went to dinner, swam at the pool, etc.