Weekend in Annapolis

Travel near or far has always been a passion. It's so fun to go someplace new, see the sights, meet the local people, shop, and sample the food.

This past weekend , Kevin and I drove about 2 hours to visit Maryland's capital city, Annapolis, where we stayed in the downtown historic district. Our Bed and Breakfast Inn was within walking distance of all we visited, which was fantastic! We parked our car when we arrived late Friday afternoon and didn't get in it again until we returned home on Sunday.

We started our weekend getaway with a ride in a horse drawn carriage. It was a good way to get an overview of the downtown area. Our driver led the horse on a circuit that included offshoots down neighborhood side streets lined with private homes where residents waved and greeted us as we slowly traveled by.

After our ride, we headed to the dock to see the boats that gathered in the harbor. Annapolis is a mecca for pleasure boats including graceful sailboats and huge, well appointed yachts as well as sporty motor boats. Boaters converge at the dock where they disembark and enter the town to partake in the party atmosphere and dine at the many restaurants and eateries. That evening, an army band had assembled and was playing an assortment of patriotic tunes in honor of the 4 th of July. We hung around a while to listen and enjoy the festive ambiance.

The following day, after a comfortable night's sleep at the inn, we were off again, traipsing down narrow alleys lined with row houses, each painted a different shade and most highly adorned with brightly colored flowers.

Within minutes, we were back at the main dock...this time preparing to head out on a short cruise for a tour of the harbor and the Naval Academy. It was a picture perfect summer day - warm and sunny with just the hint of a breeze - wonderful for our time on the water.

When we returned to the dock, Kevin and I were ready for some lunch. Moving in the direction of the closest restaurants, we came across a riotously painted mural of Annapolis set against a brick wall. It stretched behind an equally colorful flower garden. It was so neat! This mural is pictured above in the photo accompanying this blog. We chose to eat at a bustling spot called Middleton's Tavern. We ordered what turned out to be scrumptious, over-sized crabcake sandwiches which we washed down with icy cold, fresh squeezed lemonade.

With our bellies full and energy renewed, we returned to the shop-lined streets of town enjoying some window shopping before taking in a guided tour at the Paca House, former home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Outside this historic home stood the oldest White Mulberry tree in Anne Arundle County. The trunk of his ancient tree was simply gigantic!

From there, we walked a short distance to the seat of legislative action in town, the State House Building. This structure is the oldest continually running capitol building in the United States.

In addition to serving as Maryland's present day governmental seat, the State House is steeped in much history. For a very brief period, Annapolis served as the capital city of the nation. The Treaty of Paris was ratified in the State Capitol and George Washington resigned as general of the Continental Army here. We stood in the very room where General Washington's parting words were spoken.

Our tour guide pointed out some very intriguing architectural features in the capitol building. He led our attention to a portion of the marble floor, where snail fossil remains millions of years old are embedded. We could clearly make out the outlines of their spiral shaped shells. Our attention was also directed to two elaborate, Tiffany glass sky lights, so exquisite and radiant as the sun's rays shone through the patterned, colored glass panels.

Kevin and I rounded out our activities in Annapolis with the Fourth of July fireworks display at the waterfront. Our curbside seats on the grounds of the Naval Academy offered us a great view. The show was a spectacular culmination to a fun-filled weekend!