Baltimore

Because of the stress of Russian class (see the previous few posts…), Shawn and I have decided that we need to take a mini-vacation each month. So over Columbus Day weekend, we took a trip to Baltimore. The train, stingrays, and literary grave sites - what more do you need?

We were lucky to have really great weather for our trip. We took the train up on Sunday morning - very exciting - my first train ride! We managed to pretty much wear ourselves out that day. We explored the harbor, went to the National Aquarium, climbed to the top of Federal Hill Park and had a really good dinner. On Monday, we were pretty tired, so after walking to Edgar Allen Poe’s gravesite, we returned to the harbor and did some great people-watching. Then it was time to come home.

The National Aquarium was really nice, although quite expensive. I’m not sure if we’ve just gotten used to having a lot of great, free museums at our fingertips, or if it really is somewhat overpriced. But they did have a great exhibit on frogs (I love the colorful deadly ones…) and they have a huge tank of rays. We were in the right place at the right time and got to see the feeding of the rays. They truly are amazing creatures.

Speaking of being at the right place at the right time, we had an interaction with one of the most interesting “street performers” I’ve ever seen. There was this guy at the harbor who had set up a huge telescope and was allowing people to look for a free-will donation. He said he’s been doing it for years…he just loves astronomy and likes to share his knowledge with others. First we got to see Uranus (and we have the stickers that say “I saw Uranus at the Harbor” to prove it!). And then he moved the telescope for us and we got a really great look at the moon. Very cool.