Alexandria, Virginia was our last place to visit before ending our 18-day swimming and travel adventure. Our friends, Melody and David moved to Alexandria (from Burke, Virginia), so our plan was to see Alexandria during the day, and visit with Melody and David in the evening.

Dating back to the late 1600’s the old town section of Alexandria is very quaint and picturesque.

Like Baltimore, it is a wonderful place to see on foot, so we did plenty of walking. We were walked out from Baltimore, though, so we also took advantage of the free trolley bus that circles the historic old town district.

Although Alexandria has plenty of shops and restaurants, we spent most of our indoor time browsing the artist studios at the Torpedo Factory. At one time, this really was a torpedo factory and munitions storage site. Once World War II ended, it was no longer needed, and in 1969 the building was adapted to studios for working artists. There are now 82 studios, 6 galleries, and two workshops for artists who produce a diversity of artwork, ranging from painting, ceramics, photography, jewelry, stained glass, fiber, printmaking, and sculpture.

After a lovely, relaxed day of wandering around Alexandria (and having a fabulous lunch at Mai Thai (http://maithai.us/ ), we enjoyed our final evening with Melody and David. Spending time with special friends was a wonderful way to conclude a fabulous trip!

Additional photos of Alexandria are posted at: http://www.ExquisiteCards.Fototime.com . Stop on by for a visit!