Things went just as expected. We said goodbye to downtown Washington. We were at the Baltimore airport at around 11:15 am. The shuttle for Microtel came along after we called. We had eaten breakfast right in our other hotel. It wasn't that great and cost $10 but I did pack away enough not to be hungry for hours.We went to the room, had coffee, and then caught the shuttle back to a light-rail stop near the airport. It cost $3.50 for a full day pass which can be used on all Baltimore transit options. It took about twenty minutes to get downtown.
I don't know what I expected from Baltimore. I don't really think I had any preconceived notion of what it'd be like. I was quite surprised by how much I liked it. We got off at the Convention Center station which is right by the Inner Harbor. We walked this way and that. Before long we were at the Mount Vernon area. We saw most of the things on our tourist brochure by walking although we did hop on the Metro subway as well. There's only one line. We got off after just a few stops at Lexington Market. How fun! I am pretty attuned to understanding variations of English, but there was a lot of black English being spoken which I really couldn't catch at all. We even rode up to the University of Baltimore area. Six hours of walking has made me tired but has given me a good overview of this city.
I am only beginning, at my advanced age, to understand the background to the beginnings of the US. The war of 1812 had important effects here. This is where the national anthem's 'rockets red glare' took place. The British understood this was an important port. I can sort of see how the nation's capital ended up being made from swamp land not far from here. Live and learn. I'm so thankful to have nearly made it to fifty just because I've had a chance to get so damned smart!
We are off, heading back towards Minneapolis and then Seattle, at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Then, hopefully we'll meet up with my sister for lunch in Kent, Washington. I like knowing I will be in my own bed tomorrow night.