St. Marys City was most interesting and educational. The Maryland colony, chartered by Lord Baltimore, was established in 1634 and was the first in America to put the principle of religious freedom into law. Unfortunately the principle didn't stick, and it was another 150 years before Thomas Jefferson and James Madison advocated not only religious freedom but also the principle of complete separation between church and state.
After a two day trip up the Potomac, we took an end tie at the Capital Yacht Club in downtown Washington, DC.
- Sunday we took a leisurely walk across the Memorial Bridge, visited the Lincoln Memorial and the WW II Memorial, and walked up and down the National Mall. The Washington Monument is finally open after several years of earthquake repairs, but tickets are booked for months.
- Monday we spent several hours showing the boat to a prospective buyer who wanted a more detailed second look.
- Tuesday we rented a car and drove to Charlottesville to visit Jefferson's Monticello. A fascinating place.
- Wednesday we spent the day at the Library of Congress where we saw the one and only existing copy of a map from 1506 that shows the unknown new continent to the west of Europe as "America", the first use of the term. The map, done with wood block printing, was discovered in 1901 folded inside a collection of old maps in Germany.
- Today, Thursday, we spent the entire day at the Capital. Although there were hoards of school kids on their spring trip to Washington, we were fortunate to not only get tickets to the regular tour, but were able to take two small group "behind the scenes" tours. It was remarkable to stand in the old Supreme Court Chambers where the Amistad case was heard and where the Dred Scott decision was handed down.
- Tomorrow, Friday, we will spend the day at the National Portrait Gallery. After that, the Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial remain on our agenda.
The is so much here, that you have to be selective. Around every corner there is a National Museum of (fill in the blank). Most are interesting, but some are not worth the time.
We will depart Washington on Monday and make a leisurely passage down the Potomac, planning to arrive in Crisfield on the lower eastern shore of the Chesapeake by Friday.