walking in Old Salem...

Following medical procedures, the advice is to walk.
To wake up the body after anesthesia.
To get the gut moving again.
To release (politely, of course) trapped air.
To fill the lungs with oxygen and cough out any lingering yuck.

Some walk the hospital halls.  Some walk around the hotel.  Some walk a treadmill.  But why not fill your eyes and heart with lovely things while tending to this necessary part of recovery?

We decided to visit Old Salem and walk its brick and stone sidewalks.  A little history lesson, then photos.  Let's go!

"The town of Old Salem traces its history to the immigration of Moravian settlers, who brought their deep religious faith, Germanic heritage and industrious work ethic from central Europe to America in the 18th century.  The Moravians, properly known as the Unity of the Brethren, are a protestant denomination whose members sought religious freedom and economic opportunities in the American colonies, settling several permanent communities in Pennsylvania during the 1740s.  

In 1753, Moravian settlers traveled south to North Carolina to found Wachovia, a 100,000-acre tract of land that would eventually contain six Moravian communities.  These included Bethabara, Bethania, Salem and three smaller outlying settlements.  Salem, founded in 1766 as the central community in Wachovia, served as a hub of economic trade and the spiritual center of the Moravian settlements in the region.

Salem was a congregational town, meaning that one had to be Moravian and a member of the church to live in the community.  However, outsiders were welcomed to come interact with dozens of skilled tradesmen in their shops and the community store.  In addition to such fundamental trades as blacksmithing, woodworking and shoemaking, Salem also offered the much-needed but rarer services of a potter, a doctor, clock maker and justice of the peace to the residents of North Carolina backcountry."  (Visit oldsalem.org to learn more!)

This happens often when we travel...
I go into a shop to buy, oh, maybe a shopping bag full of Moravian cookies, say, and I return to find Tom and Scarlett surrounded by people!

This was a delightful way to speed recovery before our journey home!  (And the cookies were such a treat!!!)