First of all: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAX!!! All the best from all of us!
Did you see "March of the Penguins"? If you did, you might remember how the penguins 
manage to survive under severe conditions with temperatures as cold as -80°F. Well, it's quite simple: They gather and stand close-packed, forming a huge pack. As you can see on the picture - the behavior of the human race is quite similar. So thanks to the penguins nobody fell victim to the rough, icy winds soughing through the streets of Alexandria, just 10 miles south of downtown D.C.
manage to survive under severe conditions with temperatures as cold as -80°F. Well, it's quite simple: They gather and stand close-packed, forming a huge pack. As you can see on the picture - the behavior of the human race is quite similar. So thanks to the penguins nobody fell victim to the rough, icy winds soughing through the streets of Alexandria, just 10 miles south of downtown D.C.In Old Town Alexandria restaurants range from high-end to pizza joints and streets with the million-dollar-plus homes (from the 18th to the 21st centuries) are charming and close to the Potomac. All silently watched by the area's high point, the Masonic Tower (where the mysterious masons still meet). The Alexandria Trolley brought us to the shore of the Potomac River, where the Torpedo Factory not only offered shelter from the cold but provided interesting insights of its military history as well. A great area just to walk around and/or shop until unconsciousness.
The local Fire Department was giving a little neighborhood open house event, supplying us with coffee & donuts and - for some of next-generation-firefighters among us - helmets. Ain't that right, Michèle?!
Afternoon's main happening of interest: extensive shopping in Alexandria's outlets and the big, fancy mall a few Metro stations north @ Pentagon City. For some of us, the number of suitcases to be taken home the next day magically increased today... No further information necessary. Except maybe this one: if you got your ID at hand you can enjoy nice magaritas a few blocks up New Hampshire Ave. That's what we did. Muy bien - hola ricura!
