Some readers may be confused about where we are. We’ve done it again and started posting flashback posts without context, so no more posts about Europe and onto new posts about the USA! We are now in Iowa having begun our journey across from east to west. But first a post about our time in Washington DC, three weeks ago, with our wonderful new friends Kathy and Dick.
Kathy and Dick are actually our new mentors. They have devised a fantastic way to travel whereupon they have spent their retirement years moving around the worlds greatest cities and living and exploring the regions for months at a time, occasionally returning to their home in Washington to recharge their batteries before their next exciting adventure. What a wonderful way to see and experience the world, and one I hope I can achieve in the future.
We are welcomed into their gorgeous home and treated to a delicious home cooked dinner prepared by Dick, an exceptional cook. We talk on into the night before we all decide sleep is required so we can face our first day exploring Washington DC. What a day it was, and how wonderful it is to have our own private guides to steer us through all that Washington has to offer.
We walked miles over four incredible days taking in so much history and architecture, that is when we stopped chatting long enough to leave the house each morning. First day was a visit to The Capitol via the botanical gardens, where Dick and Kathy introduced us to a very rare Australian plant that we had never heard about. You learn something new every day! We also entered The Capitol through a tunnel connecting it with the Library of Congress after having a lovely lunch and seeing the stunning library and reading room.The day was capped off with a great tour of The Capitol where we got to experience the magnificent rotunda and Apotheosis of Washington fresco in person, albeit surrounded by “the doughnut” scaffolding.
We had a day of monument hopping too. Along the National Mall we went visiting the WWII, Vietnam Veterans and Korean War memorials, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin D. Roosevelt and Jefferson Memorials. There are many thing Americans do well and memorials are one of them. All of the memorials are very moving in their own way.
We visited some of the many Smithsonian Museums and all the while had our free guided tour from our local tour guides of the architectural wonders within this fabulous city, by night and day. A highlight was a visit to The White House. Though we didn’t get invited in for a look around we did enjoy seeing it in person and having a picnic in the park opposite.
We also visited Arlington National Cemetery, another stirring place that also provided us with amazing views back along the National Mall to the Capitol, which incidentally was lit up by the sun every time we caught a glimpse, even on the cloudiest of days. The same day we dropped in on the Cathedral, slowly being restored after earthquake damage. We could have explored all day here to pick out all the interesting architectural achievements and details.
To sustain us through all of this we had a wonderful dinner out at a Mexican restaurant on the newly developed waterfront, a favourite of Kathy and Dicks, but mainly ate incredible meals prepared by Dick. Kathy was endless in her ability to cope with the noisy and wacky Aussies while Dick needed the occasional rest from all these women, though he never complained once at being outnumbered 4 to 1. Kathy was born under the sign of the Bull just like me, perhaps this explains why I already feel like she is a kindred spirit who will hopefully always be in my life.
Our home time is filled with moments of advice for our further adventures in the US, so valuable in planning our travels, along with a lot of laughs as we share our experiences. Washington is a fabulous and amazing city with such beauty but the real beauty for us was spending time with Kathy and Dick. We have made the most wonderful new friends and we can’t thank them enough for all they have done for us. The only way will be when they come to Perth to visit us and we can do the same for them. We so look forward to that day. It is such a sad farewell as we move on to New York.
Here We Come World 