Annapolis, Maryland

     I am going to have to divide this post into two parts: the city of Annapolis (which is also the capital of Maryland) and then the Naval Academy, which was just as much fun to explore as the city.
     We cruised into Annapolis and went right downtown to the city docks, probably our most spectacular mooring in that we were right in the middle of everything!  Check this out:

     And here is another view of our location.  Our boat is the one in the middle:

     We were surrounded by great places to eat and drink (right across from the boat):

     And good friends to eat and drink with (these are all fellow boaters):

     This is a view from the back of the boat looking towards the city.  You can see the capital dome a little to the right and it was within easy walking distance.

      On the left side of the photo above is Main Street, lined with great shops.  There was everything there, including maritime antiques, all kinds of art, designer clothing, tourist shops and every kind of food, snack and drink establishment imaginable.  One of the more unique places we went for breakfast was Chick & Ruth's Delly.  It is a tiny place, and even the booths and tables are small--you'd have a tough time here if you're too fat.  Every morning, at 8:30 sharp, everyone in the restaurant stands up to say the Pledge of Allegiance.  We thought that was pretty cool. Here is a shot of that unique place:

     We saw a lot of patriotism in Annapolis.  On our second day there, all the flags in the state we flown at half mast for the funeral of a soldier from Maryland who was killed in Afghanistan.  That really blew me away--the entire state salutes any Maryland soldier who is killed.  I wish all the states would do that.  This next photo was taken from the World War II memorial in Annapolis, looking back towards the Naval Academy, and you can see the flags at half mast:

     And when we weren't walking around town, shopping or eating, we had constant entertainment at the docks, as you can see below:

A boat load of tourists going by.

A flotilla of kayakers passing through.

And a group of midshipmen and their dates.

   And check out the street scene right next to our boat:

     We spent six days in Annapolis and it was barely enough time to do and see all that was there. And one of the most interesting days was spent at the U.S. Naval Academy, the subject of my next post.