Maryland

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We visited Annapolis (photo), the state capital, just after the Georgetown District in Washington DC and Alexandria, Virginia on that nice sunny Sunday. We were immediately charmed by that lovely town founded in the mid 17th century. It is known for its United States Naval Academy that it feels proud of: sailors from all over the country are trained there. It also includes a museum that houses superb collections of scale-model warships, and a hall where many paintings depicting scenes of battles are exhibited. Its main avenues are as well filled with charm as its residential small streets. As in Alexandria, red brick is present on most façades and on some pavements. Nice colored buildings with porches, stoops and bow-windows are lined along the streets. The colors of paneling are much varied. Some houses are notably dotted with louvered doors and shutters. Main Street has many diversified shops full of charm that are close to historic buildings. Bars and restaurants are not forgotten, and people come from far way to taste the specialty of Annapolis: its famous crab, that you can eat at will according to the establishments. Nice sailing ships docked to the port complete the picture.
In addition to the oldest capitol in the country, the city enjoys notable buildings. The William Paca House, built in the mid 18th century in Georgian style, has a strong historical value since that signatory if the Declaration of Independence lived there. He was Governor of Maryland as well. The gardens, that extend over almost one hectare, are beautiful. Nearby, the Hammond-Harwood House is a real masterpiece of Georgian architecture. Its period furniture is just as sumptuous. It houses decorative objects and nice works of art. The Colonial style Maryland State House dates from 1779, which makes it the oldest state house in the U.S.A. Annapolis also enjoys nice museums, notably the Historic Annapolis Museum and Store which highlights the great sense of history of the city. As for the Banneker-Douglass Museum, it traces the history of the Afro-American community in Maryland.
The center was lively and we seize the opportunity to take a long walk there and mingle with locals, then we went and find some tranquility in a long residential street that ended at the Chesapeake Bay estuary. Houses with a wealthy and old-fashioned charm ran along it. All was peace and quiet. We met a few local residents, but those who were on our way were very nice and talked to us willingly, young and old alike. At the end of the street stood a pontoon. Some sailing ships were floating peacefully in front of us, others were casually moving forward on the smooth water, blending into the sweetness of living of that place. The setting was idyllic.
 
That inspired us to take the car again and drive aimlessly along Chesapeake Bay and its wonderful landscapes with wide beaches, swamps with rich flora and fauna, and out of time fishing-villages with high quality seafood restaurants. Those places exude a very enjoyable sweetness that tempts to stroll. In the wildest spots, nature reigns and you tend to lay low so that it is not disturbed by human presence. We first went through Arundel-on-the-Bay, small community founded in 1890, and composed of private plots of land and beaches embedded in their green setting. The place was beautified by the soft light of the late day sun that covered the scenery with warm colors, and the presence of does running around on the bright green lawns.
 
We carried on to Quiet Waters Park, very romantic place as much cut off from the world. The park includes paths that offer breathtaking views. There you can rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boards and pedal boats. They even thought about our canine friends: indeed, a park and a small beach are dedicated to them! The Visitor Center houses three art galleries that exhibit local artists’ work arts. A banquet hall, covered pavilions provided with steak pans and picnic tables, as well as an open-air stage are also available to the public.
We found ourselves there at sunset and we only met a few people. The beauty of the place was entrancing under those soft and shimmering colors. It seemed that time had stopped. Everything around us tempted to calm and dreamlike. We had a wonderful time of peace and contemplation, then we returned to Annapolis to have dinner and get back to its warm atmosphere.
 

Published on January, 4th 2019