Washington DC

4:30 am alarm 😭😭😭😭
Though horrendous, we are better than expected. I’m having really good sleeps in this bed.
After a few attempts the taxi dude managed to flag one down for us which took us to the station.
Arrived with time to spare which is great for my anxiety haha
You don’t get a platform number until 15 mins before your train though so we just waited around. Same problem as usual, they don’t like public seating.

Got some Starbucks and boarded. Very nice trains. Maybe best we have been on. Ample leg room, slight recline, foot holder thing and padding on seat.
We slept most of the way. Woke up with a neck crink.
An announcement on the train that passengers could get off the train for their first smoke stop then get back on the train 🧐

Wowza what a day.
We first walked out of the station and over to Capitol Hill.
Then around and down to the Washington monument.
We tried going to the air and space Smithsonian museum on the way but it was booked out so we were told to try book for the afternoon session at 12:30 exactly.

The autumn tree colours are beautiful.
There was a marathon going on with loads of runner and their families. It was nearly 3 hours in and I saw very very little walking 💪🏻💪🏻

Washington has Canberra vibes. Spacious, clean, abandoned. 80 resident tops.
We walked past some police horses in their carriage and did the smart thing and patted them.

We then walked in the direction of the White House. Pretty cool to see. Building has huge significance obviously. It looked different to how I thought it looked and have felt really dumb all day until we saw the back later on and I was like AH HA! that’s what I think it looks like and its the way more famous viewpoint.
You get closer to it from the front however.

Then walked through the WW2 memorial. They had a lovely one with 4000 stars. Each represented 100 fallen soldiers.
Simple is often best.
We then walked down past the reflective pools and up in to the Lincoln memorial.
It’s a bloody big walk. 6km at least by now to get to Lincoln.
I liked Lincoln. He was the size I envisioned.
Got some photos of the big penis as my mature husband calls it with the water reflection. It was 12:30 so tried to book the Smithsonian and got in for 3pm.

Then headed for lunch. Found a pizza place and it was terrific. Got a buffalo wing pizza with buffalo sauce, chicken, blue cheese etc. sooo good, and cheap!

Then started walking to try find a taxi to take us to the cemetery and pentagon. An impossible task. The city is abandoned. Even went to the emergency department and nada. Security was likeee uhhmmmm maybe inside can call one for you but then I pointed our the problem of yes we can get there but we can’t get back.
So we walked the 6 km back to the Smithsonian for the museum.
And only just made it for 3pm.
Very cool stuff inside but the highlights were the Wright brothers exhibits with their plane - The Wright Flyer (there was also their first/the worlds first military plane in another exhibit) a bike they made and some of their stuff that went on flights.
The other was the space exhibit with Neil Armstrong’s space suit and the Apollo 11 capsule which returned to earth with them.
Also the last shoes worn in space - Eugene Cernan’s from Apollo 17 and the door from Apollo 11 but from the attempt before where 3 astronauts died in a fire cause they couldn’t get out the hatch.

The other thing Will wanted to see was part of an exhibit that was closed.
Win some you lose some. At least he saw the space stuff. 1/2 is better than none.
And free entry can’t complain haha.
We then tried to find a taxi and got one on the agreement he would stay with us to drive us back.
Appalling English.
Didn’t feel safe with him at all. Couldn’t see his ID and kept arguing with us and not listening.
Took us to the pentagon which was underwhelming and then back to the train station. I did see some of the graves in the cemetery as we drove past but not many. He couldn’t explain properly why he couldn’t take us so we gave up. Too hard basket.
Ate in the food court then boarded the train. We’re not sitting together and this train is not nearly as nice. Ok seat room (still less) but no foot rest or recline.
1 hour to go.

Helen just said her Fitbit reckons we did at least 20km. Probably more.
Definitely feels like it.

Home now after another 2km walk.
Got halal guys again. 😆 SA GOood.

Really enjoy traveling with Helen - she will go source info so I don’t have to do it. Very police of her.Read more