Royal Street in Old Town Alexandria

Our morning walk took us to Old Town Alexandria. After exploring the old Wilkes Street train tunnel turned in to pedestrian walkthrough, we ended up on South Royal Street. We have walked on Royal Street many, many times before, but walking back in to town from this direction was somehow more interesting - or maybe I just noticed the surroundings more. It was a beautiful sunny day. What always strikes me is that the front doors and entryways are just a step off the main sidewalks. Everyone inside the house sees passersby up close, and also the other way around. I can’t help but think the rain water must somehow get in under the doors. That’s not too far fetched because Alexandria floods all of the time. Other striking features include all of the brick work, the huge chimneys, the cobblestone walkways, and the tiny structures that are less than twenty feet across. How do you possibly get furniture in and up the stairs? Some of the basements are accessed by locked entryways on the sidewalks. I sure wouldn’t want to have to go down there for any reason. Then there are the boot scrapers and the ornaments that used to hold the horse reins. All I all it’s a lovely place to explore - and we do it quite frequently.