Our side trip to Alexandria and Mount Vernon was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. Our last day, we rented a car and drove down. Alexandria was so quaint, colonial, and perfect. I could probably live there. It was so beautiful, and Daniel probably got sick of me saying that. This is my new dream house.
On the drive to Alexandria. There are so many trees on the eastern coast. Not exactly what this Utah desert girl is used to! I'm used to being able to see for miles when I'm driving on the highway.
Mount Vernon was George Washington's home. We were told that he thought it was the most perfect situation for a house in the whole country. It was quite beautiful. It would have been more beautiful (and more worth the money) if it wasn't pouring rain and 25 degrees while we were there. It was SO cold. And I was wishing I had brought a pair of boots. We made the tour of the estate pretty quickly. It looked like it could be such a fun visit if the weather was nice, almost like the pioneer village in Salt Lake City. Oh well. At least we got to see it, right?
This was the vegetable garden. There was also a flower garden on the other side.
The mansion. It was added onto twice, on either side. The most interesting thing to me was learning that Washington's dear friend was the Marquis de Lafayette. He apparently often visited Mount Vernon. He gave to Washington the key to the Bastille, telling him it was a symbol of freedom. The actual key! The key was Washington's most prized possession. He had it framed in a shadow box and hung in the entryway so that all of his visitors could see it. I had to stare at it for a while. We couldn't take any pictures inside the house.
View from the back of the house across the Potomac.
Here are the tombs of George and Martha Washington.
I took this picture for my dad. They have this painting hanging in their living room. I don't know if this is an original or not. Every time Emersen sees this picture, she recognizes it from their house.
After our truncated Mount Vernon tour, we met up with Daniel's cousins Rich and Aileen for lunch at a little restaurant overlooking the Potomac. They live in the area. We then attempted a walk around Old Town Alexandria, but that lasted for about five minutes. We decided to take a driving tour instead with the heater on.
We did find a little bakery and stopped in for hot chocolate and pumpkin pie. It was delish! I kept thinking how fun Halloween would be in a town like this.
The George Washington Masonic Temple.
I've always heard how beautiful Virginia is, and now I've been there! Granted, I know there is MUCH more of Virginia to see. But I got a taste. And I love it.
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