We slept well and headed out after breakfast. Our neighbourhood looks a little dodgy and we noticed the Gun and Drug Free signs up on lamp posts. It was about an hours walk and we were down on the Mall, the large green space where the monuments and Smithsonian museums are mostly located.
We started in the sculpture garden, which was impressive, with some great pieces of art. It also had a coffee shop which we took advantage of. The coffee was pretty good, the view over the fountain and pond was lovely.
We walked along the Mall, admiring the buildings and enjoying the beautiful day. Washington is pretty green, the lawned areas are beautiful and there is an abundance of trees, and cute little squirrels with fluffy tails. We stopped to admire them, but they don’t rate a second glance from the Americans. Most of the tourists seem to be American, or maybe they are just the ones we can hear.
We stopped at the Washington Monument, an huge obelisk shaped structure. It is really big. We kept walking and admired the National World War II Memorial, dedicated to the lost US forces.
We took a detour off the Mall and made our way to the White House. Much of the fence line is cordoned off and there were a lot of police with big guns making sure we didn’t go in. As we walked back around to the other side of the house we saw a convoy of police and several limos and vans and a truck going in. Pretty sure it was the big guy, there was a lot of fuss.
Next along the Mall was the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, a huge marble pavilion with a giant Lincoln sitting inside. It is big. It is a lovely space, with lots of people trying to get the best photo.
We bought lunch and sat and rested for a while. The Mall is huge and we had walked quite a bit by now. I opted for a chicken ceasar, it was enormous.
The Korean War Memorial is well done. Sculptures of soldiers set among conifers.
As we hadn’t started at the beginning of the Mall we now had to make our way back to the beginning, quite a trek, so we caught a bus and got off at the Capitol. This is another amazing building, the centre of the political process in the USA.
We went into the visitor centre and joined a tour. It involved a short film and then we were guided into the Capitol building, into the rotunda. It is beautiful, with a high, ornate, domed ceiling. The tour was interesting and quite informative.
Another long walk towards home, where we checked out the Trump Talk on TV. It is never ending.
We headed out for dinner, exploring Blagden Alley after a recommendation from the hipster bartender last night. There were some cool looking restaurants there, but we couldn’t get a table so we went back to 9th Avenue NW and ended up at Thully. We had a really nice meal, but Ken was finding my company boring as he couldn’t stopyawning so we went back to the apartment. We have overdone the walking on our first day!
Steps 29,026
Kms walked 22.3
2025-02-15