How My Weekend In Old Virginia Was Enhanced By The Five Senses

This past weekend, I walked on the forest trail at George Washington’s Mt. Vernon with my friend Kelly. We were on our second annual friend’s historical getaway. Most of the trees along the walk did not yet have spring leaves so we admired the different tree trunks. A few trees were covered with beige, paper-thin leaves that rustled when the breeze blew. In the quiet of that moment, I thought of the impact of all our senses on our weekend in Virginia.

The Sense of Smell

We left early Friday morning on a flight to Washington, D.C.. On our drive from the airport to Old Town Alexandria, we noticed beautiful, flowering trees. After we stored our luggage at the hotel and grabbed a bite to eat at a sidewalk cafe, we went on a historical walking tour of Alexandria. We enjoyed the fragrance of those flowering trees while on our tour.

The next day, before we went to Mt. Vernon, we went to the Farmer’s Market in the market square in front of City Hall. Oh, the smells there—freshly brewed coffee, bacon and sausage cooking, and fresh-cut flowers. I told my friend I wished we had the technology to record smells. It was that good.

Later at Mt. Vernon, we smelled the sheep, which wasn’t as pleasant. But then, in the evenings, walking around Alexandria, we smelled the aromas from every kind of restaurant imaginable. It was hard to decide where to eat, it all smelled so good.

The Sense of Hearing

We heard the soulful sounds of a lone busker playing his saxophone on our way to the Farmer’s Market early Saturday morning. I was delighted to recognize the hymns he played. He was accompanied by tiny chirping birds hoping for some dropped crumbs.

Besides the rustling leaves on that path at Mt. Vernon, we also heard the bleating of lambs only a couple of weeks old. It was lambing season and there were about ten babies. We enjoyed a fife demonstration by a gentleman in colonial garb. He played several flute-like instruments from a crystal flute to a length of garden hose. He also shared how the colonial-era snare drum worked. At the end of his demonstration, he led a group of kids in a march around the bowling green. We enjoyed watching these kids from teens to toddlers following him as if he were the Pied Piper.

Alexandria is close to Reagan International Airport so we heard many jets flying over, some coming in for a landing and some leaving. And since we were in town during St. Patrick’s Day, we heard lots of music, laughter, and conversations between friends.

The Sense of Taste

We enjoyed delicious food in Alexandria—Mexican, German, Mediterranean, Seafood, and American food. My favorite meal was the breakfast sandwich I enjoyed at the Farmer’s Market. It was made with farm-fresh eggs and cheese on a homemade English Muffin. If I could eat pork, I would have added bacon like my friend Kelly did. It smelled divine.

Of course, since we were on vacation, we had to eat ice cream.

The Sense of Sight

Our visual feast began as we started our descent into Washington, DC. As we approached the ground, we noticed puffs of white and shades of pink, as if someone had spilled a box of pom-poms over the city. We were delighted to realize the trees, including the world-renowned cherry trees, were blooming. While spring had not yet fully sprung, the trees announced its imminent arrival.

There is always much to see when you travel to a destination different from your home. The trees and flowers were different from the more tropical plants I am accustomed to. The architecture was different as well, with many homes dating back to the eighteenth century. An old home where I live would probably be from the early 1900s. Alexandria is situated on the Potomac River so we saw water and a few boats. We noted that it was much wider than our Florida rivers.

The Sense of Touch

We enjoyed the warm sun on the cool days and cool breezes when it was warmer. Our hands touched many different textures in the various shops we poked through. My favorite, though, was the feeling of cool, crisp sheets as I slipped into bed after a long day of sightseeing.

God Winks

Besides experiencing Alexandria and Washington DC with our five senses, we enjoyed many little “God winks”.

Friendly Lyft drivers in nice, clean cars
Friendly servers in restaurants like Reuben and Tim
A superb hotel to stay in—The Old Town Alexandrian
An amazing staff at our hotel who were truly more like innkeepers than front desk clerks
A friendly, knowledgeable tour guide on our walking tour (which ended up being a private tour)
A vendor at the Farmer’s Market gave us two extra bags of homemade potpourri when he learned Kelly had a milestone birthday coming up
A docent at Mt. Vernon who was a new empty-nester exploring new activities as her son was in college (“You can’t miss them unless they go”)
Friendly shopkeepers who took the time to chat with us
Spending our Sunday at the Museum of the Bible literally being immersed in God’s word

The biggest and best surprise was that we timed our trip perfectly to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C.. We didn’t plan our trip to see the cherry blossoms, it just happened. We chose the weekend we did because it was one of the few times we were both available. As a young friend of ours said

“Well, that’s just the kindness of the Lord!”

One of my favorite things about life in the empty nest is the ability to travel, especially with friends. I am blessed to have a husband who does not mind me taking an occasional trip with friends. It was so good to get away from our daily cares, visit a new part of the country, and soak up some history while we were there.