Monday in Alexandria, The Gaylord

1. The briny smell of the ocean reminds me of Maine. It was the first thing I noticed when I walked to the water's edge this morning. A friend and I took a two mile walk around the harbor at sunrise.
(It felt like another two miles to find the way back and forth to my room. This place is like a small city.)
2. A short water taxi ride took us across the harbor to Alexandria. We spent the day walking cobblestone streets and little side roads lined with historic brick buildings. We lunched at a restaurant in one of these old, brick buildings. The atmosphere inside was dark, created from aged wood beams and brick walls with only one window at the front. We sat at a table in front of this window. A well made shrimp cocktail and a lobster roll satisfied my seafood craving.
3. Reunited with our husbands for dinner, we were invited to the lounge at the top of the 18th floor of the hotel's atrium. One of my favorite tables (aside from the dessert buffet) was the cheese and antipasto buffet. The hosts paired cheese with a perfect compliment of fruit for each one. Some of the fruits were in the form of slices of a sticky gelatin concoction with a consistency similar to Turkish Delight. I don't know what it was, but I need to find out : )
3a. Surrounding the atrium was a balcony overlooking the harbor with Washington DC in the distance. It was mild this evening, so we stood outside to enjoy the breeze and the view. The cleverly designed guardrail was lined with glass to preserve the view. Nice for others, but it meant vertigo for me! Needless to say, I stood against one of the pillars.

Exterior back of the Gaylord Hotel

Interior atrium