Earlier this month, we had ourselves an impromptu ‘spring break,’ and boy are we glad to have gotten out on a quick trip (and home again) before all the quarantining started! Maelle and I had tentatively planned to join Andrew on a work trip to London in early May, but that’s obviously not happening… We aren’t sure when our next opportunity to travel will be, and we feel the absence of trip-planning acutely; this will be the first time in four or five years that we aren’t planning a trip to Europe right about now.Andrew typically attends a conference in Alexandria a couple times a year, and I’ve started going with him since it’s an easy trip and close to my parents. I had a great time when I was pregnant, and we took Maelle last fall; it might have been her first time in a hotel. Andrew was set for the conference, Maelle and I planned to fly in and meet him later in the week, and my parents even had plans to do DC with us–something we don’t normally do when we visit. We were all looking forward to a few days of warmer weather and a bit of a “staycation/vacation.”
So, when the coronavirus caused Andrew’s company to cancel work-related travel, we decided to go ahead and go anyway! Andrew got up bright and early to start driving, while Maelle and I got to take the *easy* route and fly. (*Flying solo with a baby is never easy.)
Because Alexandria is so close to DC, and I have a bunch of friends still in the Air Force, we often have the chance to meet up for quick visits. This time, I saw two of my closest ROTC friends, Phil and Charlie.
My parents only live about 20 miles from Alexandria, but it takes an hour to drive there from where they live in Manassas! So, they decided to stay at the same hotel for a couple nights so they wouldn’t have to drive or take the train in multiple times. It also happened to be their 28th wedding anniversary, so I’m sure it was also a nice excuse to get away (if not very far) for the weekend. They made plans to have a nice dinner after we all turned into pumpkins and put Maelle to bed.
Maelle took the metro for the first time when we headed into DC to tour the Smithsonian that Friday. We also got a ton of use out of her UPPAbaby Minu stroller, which folds up super small and is very lightweight. Our other stroller, a Thule Urban Glide, is pretty big–it’s perfect for running and uneven sidewalks in the village, but not easy to travel with or navigate in tight spaces.
Maelle also learned to wave on our trip! She started waving to some other people on the trolley in Old Town, and she’s been practicing ever since.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus caused all the museums to close on Saturday, so we spent the day walking around a few of the outside monuments with my parents instead. I still enjoyed it, as I haven’t visited any of them since I was a kid.
Maelle slept through most of it…
Hopefully the current pandemic won’t last so long that Andrew will miss the conference again…we already can’t wait to go back!
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