As we planned the itinerary for our guests, we wanted to give them a well rounded experience — some history, some aviation, some culture, and lots of fun. Monday’s schedule had history, culture and fun all in one day (the aviation comes on Tuesday). Our cadet hosts for today were Becca Gnau and Zuly Ruiz, both of the Carroll Composite Squadron.
Yariv, Sharon, and Harry pose at Fort McHenry.
We began our day with a trip to Fort McHenry in Baltimore — for those not up on their history, this is the site that, in 1814, provided Francis Scott Key with the inspiration to write the poem that eventually became our national anthem. Our guests were familiar the the song and learning about the history and what the words actually mean was important to them. Nate had commented that he always thought the words related to something more recent but now has some context for the next time he hears the anthem.
After a morning of history, it was time for lunch and some fun. We made the short trip to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor – a great place for food, fun, and shopping. After lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, we toured the National Aquarium and saw the 4D movie. Nate, an avid diver, absolutely LOVED the creatures in the museum and used up his camera batteries taking photos.
Sharon and Zuly at Hard Rock Cafe.
Yariv and Harry found a little bit of heaven in the nearby ESPN Zone after finishing their tour (we left Nate to continue his picture taking!), while Sharon, Zuly, and Becca did some shopping.
Everyone seemed to have one common bond — cheesecake! So a stop at the Cheesecake Factory to pick up tomorrow’s snack was added to our itinerary. Our guests had difficulty choosing from the many varieties, but in the end they all found something they liked.
Our day ended at Maj. Joe Winter’s beautifully restored home in Baltimore for dinner and relaxation. Harry commented later that it was his favorite part of the day; he enjoyed just sitting and talking with everyone. It has been great to watch how each day the Maryland cadets form a bond with our IACE guests and by the end of the day, they have become good friends. People from around the world are so different, yet so similar. It has been an awesome experience getting to know our guests.
~Brenda
* * * * * * *
