Sunday 23rd October

Today we drove about one and a bit hours to Harper's Ferry. This is a historic National Park at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. There were several battles over the area during the Civil War and it is also the place where the famous abolitionist, John Brown, raided the US armoury to try and arm a slave rebellion that never happenned. He was caught and hung and this actually caused such an uproar that it was one of the triggers for the Civil War, that led eventually to abolition.

We did a short walk through fields (never seen so many grasshoppers and crickets!) and woodland to a lookout over the river and some old earthworks where we sat and ate a very tasty sandwich bagel made by Lizzy, before returning and getting the shuttle bus into the historic Lower Town.  There we looked around the John Brown museum before returning to the car park. 

We drove back to Baltimore and got ready to go out to a very special restaurant for our farewell dinner (Woodberry Kitchen). We arrived by Uber in time for our 7.45pm reservation but our table wasn't ready so we had a cocktail while we waited. The food was amazing! We shared four starters and then Iain and I had crabcake, followed by a creme brulee with roasted grapes which was wonderful. 

Monday 24th October

Poor Ryan had to be up at 6am but we rose rather later and Lizzy called us an Uber at 10.30am to take us to BWI. Unfortunately there was no available lounge (under reconstruction) so we had to wait until we boarded the plane at 1.45pm to get a free drink and nibbles! We are presently at Newark awaiting our evening flight to Manchester.

This is Ann....signing off!

Friday 21st October

Today we decided to stay in Baltimore with Lizzy who had taken a day off work again. It was another lovely sunny day, so we walked down to the Inner Harbour to go up to the 27th floor of the World Trade Centre building for some spectacular views. We then waited for a water taxi to take us to Fell's Point. This is a pretty area with lots of cafes and restaurants some way around the harbour area - it took about 20minutes with one stop at Locust Point and it was nice to see some of the buildings from the water. We had a nice lunch/brunch with Lizzy before walking to the Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden. The Sculpture Garden was much better than the one in DC and had both modern pieces and some by Rodin, Henry Moore and others. By the afternoon the clouds had started to roll in and we had just finished before the rain started. We really enjoyed the Art Gallery, especially the Asian and African, Modern and Contemporary sections. They also displayed several Mattisse, Van Gogh, Picasso, and lots of others. What I liked about it was the fact that it wasn't too huge and there were plenty of places to sit down while you looked at the pictures.

The rain had stopped by the time we left and got an uber back to Lizzy's flat. Lizzy and I then made Spanokopita and a nut/dried fruit/honey/boozey concotion to use up the rest of the filo pastry!

Saturday 22nd October

Today was 'Open Doors' in Baltimore which meant that a lot of buildings were open to the public. We walked around the corner to join a tour at 10.30am of the Hippodrome Theatre. The theatre covers what used to be three buildings and has an interesting mix of modern building and Victorian ornateness in the auditorium itself. Scantily clad women were posturing on the stage in a Body Building Competition which looked more like a beauty contest. All male judges, of course! Unfortunately, because of this, we weren't able to see backstage.

We then took the light rail up to the Mount Vernon area of the city and went to Enoch Pratt house and Maryland Historical Society building before visiting the grand Peabody Library. We walked several blocks admiring the varied architecture before visiting a strange little three storey house near where Wallace Simpson lived, stuffed full of artefacts and memorabilia from that era..

We had great sandwiches for lunch at the Fat Belly sandwich shop around the corner before calling an Uber to take us to the Aquarium. Ryan is a member so we got reduced rates but it is a large place and we needed all the three and a half hours to look round. I loved Lizzy and Ryan's favourite fish - the Look Down fish (very flat, silver with big eyes) and Long Horned Cow Fish but also the dark blue little Cardinal fish and the Striped Burr fish. We were lucky to catch a feeding session at the Australian exhibit and a feeding display as Archer fish shot water to knock crickets off a branch. At least one got away! We also saw two male dolphins and heard a talk about them as they played with their keepers. They also have six females but keep them separate. They are also preparing to send them to a larger, more natural area and not to replace them, which is good. 

We got back about 6.30pm and went out for an excellent meal at the Helmund (Afghan).

Thursday 20th October

Today we returned with our bag to Lizzy and Ryan's flat before taking the light rail (tram) to Penn station and then the train to Washington DC. We arrived around lunchtime and on our way down to have a look at the Sculpture garden we spotted some umbrellas down a side street and found an excellent place for to eat. Iain had an extremely good fish and chips and I sampled crab cake which was also very good. We then walked to the Sculpture garden which was  much smaller than I had expected. The weather was hot and sunny but with much higher humidity than previous days. We then visited the Newseum which Iain then spent the rest of the afternoon perusing, whilst I mostly sat around, although I did look at some of the exhibits; most notably one about 7/11. 

We met Lizzy outside the Folger at 5pm and went to a bar for a cocktail whilst waiting for Ryan to join us. We then went for dinner in the restaurant below before returning to the Folger to see a play. This was a really excellent and fun production of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. It was also interesting to see the reading room of the Folger during the intermission. We had to catch the Marc train at 10.30pm as it was the last one to BWI where Ryan had left the car, so we had to dash out before the applause started and get an uber to Union Station. We made it though, and got to bed about midnight. The uber system is very useful - it relies of GPS on mobile phones. One registers on the system and it uses a direct debit type system to pay for any ride the client books. The client looks on line and can see what cars are nearby and how much it would cost and can then request a particular car. The app displays the name of the driver, their rating and the numberplate of the car.

Tuesday 18th October

Today was warm amd sunny and we explored Baltimore with Lizzy, who had taken a day off work. We walked down to the Inner Harbour and went to the American Visionary Art Museum which was quite fascinating.

We looked around one wing and then decided to walk over Federal Hill to a little cafe for lunch, before returning and looking around the other building.

Afterwards we took a bag around to the Hotel Monaco where we are staying for the next two nights and, after an excellent dinner that Lizzy and Ryan prepared, we retired to the Monaco.

Wednesday 19th October

Today Iain and I took the bus from outside the hotel to Penn station and then the Marc train to Washington DC. This was a slow train and stopped at several places en route but it was interesting to see a bit of the surrounding countryside. It was hot and sunny and we walked down from Union Station to the Library of Congress, which is a very imposing building opposite the Shakespeare Folger Library. We met Lizzy outside and she took us to a very nice French cafe for some lunch before returning to work. We decided to take the Circulator bus around DC so as to get a feel of the place. We had to walk a fair way and had difficulty finding the stop so we were quite hot and sticky by the time we caught one, and glad to sit down! We alighted at the Lincoln Memorial and spent a little time looking around it as it was quite interesting, before hopping back on the Circulator up to Union station. We had an hour before we were due to meet Lizzy there but our feet were tired so we sat down and had a beer while we waited.
We took the light rail (tram) to BWI (Baltimore airport) where Ryan picked us up on his way home and we then went and had dinner at an excellent bar-be-cue restaurant called The Blue Pit.

Monday 17th October

We packed up after breakfast and decided to visit Louray Caverns before going to into Shenandoah. This was one of the best cave systems we have seen on our travels and althoughwe had to go on a guided tour, we were able to take our time. The lighting was very well arranged and showed off the numerous formations sympathetically so that one could take good photos without flash. There was also an underground lake that showed wonderfully the reflections of the stalactites above.

We then drove along Skyline drive to Stoneyman trailhead and did a short walk up to Stoneyman Summit for some wonderful views, before starting the three hour drive back to Baltimore, where we arrived around 8pm. As it was getting late, we had a very good takeout from a local Afghan takeaway which is very close to the flat.

Friday 14th October

Today we travelled to Baltimore (via Atlanta). Luckily they checked our bags right through as we only had 30 minutes to find and board our connecting flight in Atlanta, as the first flight was a few minutes late. We arrived in Baltimore and were very relieved to find our luggage had arrived and Ryan was there to meet us. We were very impressed with Lizzy and Ryans flat; it has twenty foot high ceilings, is in the style of industrial chic and is larger than we had thought. 

Saturday 15th October

We didn't sleep well because of the traffic noise and the tram horns but after a leisurely breakfast we packed up Lizzy and Ryan's car to drive to Shenandoah National Park for two nights. It took about three hours to get there and we then drove some way south down Skyline Drive and parked up to do a short walk up Compton Peak. It was only about 2 miles and 450 feet of climb and was on a lovely stony path through woodland, which at this time of year is displaying wonderful autumn hues. It was quite hot though and by the time we returned to the car and driven some way to our accommodation  it was dark. It was quite exciting driving down a gravelled road to collect the keys from a lock box, to open a large wooden gate which put us in mind of Jurassic Park!

The unmade road continued along the river and we eventually found our cabin which was quite difficult in the dark. We were delighted with it - it was beautifully appointed, with a large picture window facing the river, and a large deck with a hot tub, barbecue and seating. 

Sunday 16th October

The sun was shining on the Shenandoah River when we got up and we decided to do a longer walk but to be back about 5pm so we could enjoy the hot tub before it got dark. It was quite late by the time we had had breakfast and got organised, so we decided on the Rose River loop. This was a beautiful four plus miles with 750 feet of climb along rocky wooded trails to the waterfall and then along the river and up by cascades to Dark Hollow Falls where we joined a main fire road back through the trees. The autumnal colours were wonderful and we had lunch down by the Rose River falls, sitting on a fallen tree.
When we got back we all enjoyed the hot tub for a while before having a barbecue and salad.

Wednesday 12th October

Today we walked along five blocks to Louis Armstrong park where we sat and had an iced coffee whilst a rucksack full of laundry was being washed and dried. It is very hot but pleasant if you can find some shade. We then returned to Babana Courtyard and went to a local shop for a Po-Boy sandwich for lunch. These take their name from the sandwiches some philanthropists handed out to strikers on the railroad stike - 'Here's another poor boy'. We had been told that they were very good from this shop and there were! A hot French loaf with salad and loads of deep fried, battered prawns - delicious and undoubtedly very fattening! It was quite an experience as the shop was rather like a very busy Chinese take away and everyone was hanging around waiting for their food - all locals and no Americans or tourists. 

We just had time to consume our po-boy before our lift came to take us on a small boat swamp trip. We had a 35 minute drive east from the centre of New Orleans across one of the longest bridges in the world (23 miles) to Honey Island Swamp. It was very interesting seeing the differences between canal, river, bayou and slips as well as the wildlife; alligators, wild hog, golden orb spider, various egrets, kingfishers and herons. The Spanish Moss hanging on the trees sometimes gave the place an other worldly feeling. We had nearly 2 hours on the boat before returning in the minibus.

We then decided to walk down Bourbon Street, which at our end was very quiet and residential before becoming noisy, glitzy and full of tourists. We decided to eat up on a balcony so we could see the world go by, including a half naked woman with a parasol offering pictures for tips! We then ended up at the only place on Bourbon St that appeared to be playing jazz as opposed to cover bands and pop. We went to Maison Bourbon who had an excellent band playing traditional jazz standards; they were all really good musicians and the place was only half full!

Thursday 13th October

Having had a lateish night last night we decided to get a 3 dollar day pass for the trams and went down to the ferry across the murky waters of the Misissippi to Algiers Point which has some nice old buildings built after a catastrophic fire in 1895 which destroyed much of New Orleans. We went on several trams and stopped for some lunch near the French Market before returning home. We are going out to Loius Armstrong park shortly as rumour has it that there is music there this evening!