We are up, showered, hair washed, made up and dressed ready to leave the boat at 9 am just as we decided then wait for Terry to come out of the loo. Bless.
We find Jim’s car where he left it for us and head out on the interstate to the end of the metro line for Washington. We have no idea what the traffic is like getting into the capital and to be honest, have no desire to find out.
The car park right by the metro is full but there is a public car park over the road which has plenty of spaces. Obviously people don’t like crossing roads here and later, after waiting nearly 5 minutes for the lights to change to allow us to cross (jay walking is illegal here) I can understand why!
But first we have to pay for the parking. You park first, remember your space number then go to the machines and put your credit card in to pay. Remembering Mike’s adventures with a credit card in a vending machine in New York, and still being one credit card down, I encourage Terry to use his. At the end of the procedure, there is no indication whether the machine has registered the transaction or not. He tries again. No result. Mike phones the company but gets no answer. The only people with experience of the machines come armed with coins – 16 quarters for the day – none of us can scrape that number together. Mike gingerly puts his credit card in and hey presto it seems to work. If Jim’s car is still there at the end of the day we will definitely know it worked!
After waiting the aforementioned 5 minutes to cross the road we get to New Carrollton metro station and are faced with a row of unintelligible ticket machines. When we ask the uniformed official for a quick explanation of getting to the right fare, he just tells us to read the machines and do what it says. Given that I used to write technical manuals, I know when something is badly explained and what I am reading is BAD.
The official eventually relents, and presuming that as we are foreign and therefore thick, comes over to help. Net result 4 tickets.
The journey only takes about 20 minutes and most of this is over ground. Just before we enter the tunnel I can see the Washington Monument and the US Capitol Building in the distance. The stuff of films.
All the stations on the orange line on our way to Federal Triangle are the same. Slightly space age with curved, patterned, concrete ceilings. They are quite dimly lit too which at first we think is a result of the tinted windows but when we get off we can see they really are a bit gloomy.
We emerge into bright sunshine at Federal Triangle, at the Ronald Regan Building and the Old Post Office Pavilion. The buildings are beautiful and very reminiscent of Westminster. Everything is clean and spruce and the bright, clear blue sky enhances this feeling.
Photo: Beautiful rose sculpture outside the Ronald Regan Building
We stop at Starbucks (one on every corner it seems) to have a drink and use the loo then we make our way to The White House, going past the Treasury Buildings first.
Photo: Treasury Buildings
Photo: Some of the buildings make me feel like I’m in Westminster
At first it doesn’t seem like we are going to be able to get near The White House. I know we can’t get in it – you have to apply months in advance. There are concrete road blocks and steel railings in front of all the road entrances but then suddenly, a little further down ‘The Ellipse’, the park area down to the National Mall, we can walk through, and there, through the railings, is the White House and its beautifully tended lawn. There are a handful of tourists but to be honest, nowhere near as many as I would have expected.
Photos: Not quite tea on the White House lawn but as close as we are going to get!
Photos: The Old Executive Office Building and the World War I Memorial
As we cross the road, police put roadblocks behind us to stop anyone entering the area surrounding the White House. Is Mr Obama coming home? Apparently not, although some sort of cavalcade arrives a bit later – lots of sirens and police presence but we never get to find out who it is.
From here we walk down to the National Mall and the World War II Memorial where there is a gathering of veterans, many in wheelchairs, and all wearing the same. Given the age of some of them and the number of them that are attached to oxygen tanks, this will probably be their last visit.
Photo: World War II veterans at the memorial to their fallen comrades
The memorial’s many fountains look beautiful in the bright sunshine. There are two main memorials – one for the war in the Pacific, and another for the Atlantic – and smaller ones for all the states and overseas territories.
Photos: The World War II Memorial
From the memorial we walk up to the Lincoln Memorial going past the reflecting pool on our way. It is a lovely sight but could be even more beautiful if it was kept clean. The pool, which stretches all the way between these two memorials, is only about 9 inches deep but it is full of green algae and slime. It still reflects on a wind-less day like today, but could look glorious if it were cleaned of the green stuff. The grass could do with a bit of tending too but given that there are acres of it and there are big demands on public spending at the moment, I suppose that’s to be expected.
As we walk, planes roar overhead, the whole area being under the flight and landing path for the airport airport, presumably just across the Potomac River. Actually, the first time we see one come over, it is flying so low over the Lincoln Memorial that for a moment I think it is going to crash into it, but they follow each other every 5 or 10 minutes, and by the time we reach the memorial, I am used to the noise.
Photos: At the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument in the background
Photos: The Washington Monument
Entry into the Washington Monument used to be possible, but since it was damaged by an earthquake a few years back, it has not been allowed.
Photo: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial
We have lunch at the Smithsonian Castle, one of the many museums along the National Mall. It’s expensive for what we have, although quite good, apart from the strawberry tarts which both Mike and Terry pronounce to be quite disgusting although they do finish them. I don’t know what the gloop is that covers the tarts but it smells strongly of bubble gum – I think someone was a bit over zealous with the artificial flavouring in the factory!
We stop outside the Hirshhorn Museum to look at the display of Chinese zodiac symbols, The Circle of Animals by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei who is currently incarcerated in China for not being polite about the authorities. It’s all a bit too much culture for Mike who sits down and has a rest.
Photo: 10-foot high sculptures by Ai Weiwei
Photo: Mike mistakes this sculpture for a bench
Next stop is the Air and Space Museum, where we see some of the actual command shuttles that were used by US astronauts to re-enter earth’s atmosphere after their journeys through space. You can still see all the scorch marks on them and how cramped the conditions were.
Most of the exhibits are a bit on the boring side for me though and by the time we get to the Wright Brothers bit, I’m ready to sleep. Mike, however, finds this bit the most interesting and reads every bit of information. Zzzzzz.
Photos: At the Air and Space Museum – beam me up, Scotty!
Photo: Ann and I measure up (or not) to the 60s air hostess
After what seems like hours, we are on our way to the last stop, the US Capitol Building, just a bit further on down the mall, and it’s another beautiful piece of architecture when you see it in the flesh, or at least you can see it once the rather large gathering of Japanese tourists have moved along.
Photo: In front of the US Capitol
Photos taken, we decide we’ve had enough but we have to ask two policemen the way to the nearest metro station as the first one has no idea. We are travelling in rush hour but there is room to sit down as long as you are brave enough to ask politely for people to budge up and not sit on two seats (some of them are spread over them but I still don’t think that’s fair). Eventually Ann and I sit together and rest our weary legs and feet and Terry finds another photo opportunity.
Photo: Dozing on the metro
As we walk back to the car we notice a ‘kiss and ride’ area. Kiss and Ride? What the hell is that? Then we realise that it’s a drop off area for those being dropped off to catch the train. I wonder if you’ve had a row whether you go to the ‘piss off and make your own way’ one!
Photo: How … sweet?
We jay-walk across the bloody road this time – life’s to short to wait for this crossing twice in one day – and thankfully Jim’s car is still where we left it which means that our we won our argument with the machine from this morning. The drive back to Annapolis is uneventful although it takes us a long time to find a garage to fill up with petrol. We leave Jim’s car, take the dinghy back to the boat, put some warmer clothes on and head back to town to go to Chick and Ruth’s again.
When we get there we find that there are two challenges going on. A party of Maryland Park Ranger recruits are eating out tonight – one recruit goes for the milkshake challenge (a 1lb burger and a 6 lb milkshake) and another goes for the sandwich one (a normal drink and a 3 lb meat sandwich). When their dishes arrive, their faces say it all. They both have a valiant go but are defeated. I’m very glad that they give up before the vomiting stage!
Photos: The challenges
Photos: The leftovers
They leave, one confirmed vegetarian and one who never wants to smell or taste vanilla again!
Thankfully, our dinners are of normal proportions and the crab cakes are excellent once more. Although we refuse a pudding, Terry and I manage to force down a small ice cream on the way back to the boat.
Another great day. I’m so pleased we have seen Washington, the most famous bits anyway. I can now watch films smugly – I have even more opportunity to sit and say “I’ve been there”!
Position: 38 deg 58 min N, 76 deg 28 min W
Distance so far: 2643 miles
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