Thursday, August 02, 2007

Centre Ville

Last weekend Jube had to work all day on Saturday, so Sunday I had decided we would get out of the house together. When the day finally arrived, however, I found myself in a little bit of a depressed mood and couldn't think of anything fun to do. I had taken a shower so I didn't want to go to the beach and get sandy; I didn't want to go hiking because then I would get sweaty! After a few minutes (or hours?) of moaning I finally decreed that we would check out "those cool houses we see from Brambleton when we go downtown" and afterwards head to the mall.

It turned out to be a great choice, because we were able to explore Norfolk a little bit more and revise our opinions of the town's aesthetics. The nice houses turned out to be in Norfolk's Ghent Historical District, one of the oldest and nicest parts of the city, just across a canal from downtown.



Many of the houses here have towers, and combined with the old trees, this gave the neighborhood a unique look. We even took a picture of this house for sale to send to Jube's parents telling them that we were going to buy it!



After walking around Ghent we weren't ready to go to the mall, so we went to the Freemason District to look at the townhouses there. The city has kept the original cobblestones on part of Freemason Street and some intersecting streets. The neighborhood is near the harbor and has some really interesting sections, so it was fun to check out. Jube even said that he (finally!) felt like he was in a foreign country!

Here is a picture of a Chinese restaurant. It actually belongs to the city and is in the center of a municipal park. The building was a gift from the government of Taiwan. In the background you can see the stern of the USS Wisconsin.



Then we walked to the mall and took a turn around. When we left, there was quite a lot of thunder and it started to rain heavily. Luckily we made it to the car before it began, and we were treated to an evening show of lightning. All in all it was a great day.

8 comments:

J said...

Ooh is that Chinese restaurant open now? It wasn't open the last time I was there. It looks so cool. And I loved those big bonzai-like trees around it.

Leah said...

Hey, when you said you walked to the mall and "took a turn around." Did you mean "faire un tour"? Hehe. Oh, how I love French translated into English. I do that all the time and don't even realize it!

Gem said...

Jennie: Yes, the Chinese restaurant is open! We have not been to try it out yet, but it is on our list...

Leah: Is "take a turn" not English? I don't /think/ that I translated directly, although "faire un tour" might have subconsciously played a part in my choice of idioms...

Leah said...

You know, each time I've been abroad for a good bit, I find I forget how to say things in English sometimes! So, I could very well be wrong. But, I don't think we would say "I walked to the mall and took a turn around." Now that I think about it, though, maybe it's a regional thing? Take a poll!

Anonymous said...

In Maryland we would say "Let's take a turn around the park or museum or mall." "take a turn around" not "take a turn in" or "take a turn through" or "take a turn up" etc.

Anonymous said...

Want to take a poll? How about a dictionary? That might be more efficient.
"Take a turn around" is not a regional thing at all. It may be a little bit dated, bit it is perfect English nonetheless.

Leah said...

Hmm, I actually wasn't criticizing the English used at all, just wondering if it was a bit of French translated into English which I find quite endearing, in fact. I did say I forget what we say in English sometimes and I could very well be wrong. In any case, whether dated or not, I don't recall hearing anyone from where I'm from use it, so it could be regional afterall. Languages are so fascinating, huh?

J said...

I've never heard anyone say "take a turn around" before either, at least not in Michigan. I'll ask my sister if she hears that in Virginia too. I'm fascinated by this now! Ooh linguistics!