The Capital - Washington D.C.

Washington monument

Next stop on my USA trip was the not to be missed capital, Washington D.C. I arrived late on Sunday 13th May straight from New York. This stop was kind of a strange one for me with the country being in such a 'different' political climate. Without going too in depth on my own personal feelings of Trump (not a good idea on the internet as everyone has a right to their own personal beliefs,) I would have been a lot more excited to be outside the White House when Obama and Michelle were inside, but anyway, still really interesting!

I was incredibly lucky when I visited Washington as one of my closest friends, Cara, has her lovely sister Beth living in the city. Beth was a dream host, giving me my very own queen bed and bathroom to use. At this point I had only been traveling for 3 weeks,  but the luxury of having my own room and an apartment to hang out in was utter bliss. So good in fact I spent my first day relaxing inside, washing clothes and making plans for my future travels. I finally ventured out in the afternoon to explore the local area and pick up some ingredients for a home cooked meal, another thing I had been missing. I had a lovely evening with Beth, eating and chatting and getting lots of great tips on where to visit and what to eat over the next couple of days.

My second day was a lot more active. My first priority was to visit the White House, something I have always been very keen to see in person, but at first look I was extremely disappointed by how grey and dull it was, nothing like the bright white building you see in the movies. It probably took me a full five minutes before I realised that the building I was standing in front of and taking pictures of was in fact not the White House, but actually the U.S. Department of Treasury. Honestly there is no excuse for this, I can't even pretend they were that similar, it was just a very dumb moment and I felt extremely silly when I carried on down the path to find the real White House, which really does look like the pictures!

The White House

World War II Memorial

World War II Memorial

 

Little ducklings without their mum

I spent the rest of the morning exploring the surrounding area enjoying the views of the Washington monument which can be seen from quite a distance and is a real landmark in the city, as well as the World War II memorial, which I think was my favourite of them all. It had a beautiful water fountain with pillars surrounding it etched with the names of all the states in the US, and a wall full of stars representing all the thousands of US soldiers whose lives were lost. It was here that I also saw the cutest little ducklings next to a large and powerful waterfall looking stuck with no mum insight. I must have watched them for about 20 minutes, then couldn't wait any longer and decided to go on a hunt to find their mum. I am not exactly sure what my plan of action was as A) how on earth do you know which duck is the mum of the ducklings when you are looking in a park filled with ducks, and B) if I did somehow miraculously figure out which duck was the mother, how would I take her back to her ducklings in the memorial? But guess what... I found her! Well more accurately she found them, but I felt like I played my part in a beautiful family reunion and it was amazing!

Afterwards I ventured to Georgetown which Beth recommended to me as a really nice area of Washington with bars, restaurants and shops all near the water. It was here I stopped at the 'Baked & Wired' cupcake store, which I have crowned the best cupcake shop in the world. I haven't actually been to that many cupcake stores but I feel so confident in the superiority of their cupcakes that I will crown it the winner anyway (thank you for suggesting it Beth)! After a long day of sightseeing I decided to treat myself to a drink on a gorgeous rooftop bar. The sun was glorious and the views were stunning as I looked over the city with a Frose (frozen rose, yes it was delicious) in hand. I even topped it off with a cheese platter whilst Facetiming my parents and filling them in on the last week or so. I was in pure heaven! After that I headed back to the flat for a relaxed evening of Netflix.

Cheese platter on the terrace

Rooftop bar

The next day was the beginning of the dreaded storm Alberto, which proceeded to follow me down the entire of the East coast for the next two weeks. I don't think it would have been quite as annoying if it hadn't also been so hot. I had to constantly prioritise whether I wanted to be dry wearing my jacket, but incredibly hot, or cool without my jacket but soaking wet. I usually chose the drowned rat look which made for some great photos that you shall never see. I also explored the Library of Congress which had a great exhibition on the Europeans first coming to the US and discovering its beauty and plants. I also visited The Supreme Court and the US Capital, both extremely impressive buildings with plenty of history. I then walked around the Washington Basin to see the Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Lincoln, Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials. It was certainly a busy day. With so much to see I never even made it into one of their famous museums, but it is already on my list to come back and visit again one day.

That night I said my goodbyes to Beth (and the beautiful apartment) and got up on Thursday morning to catch my flight to Orlando!!

Lucy B x

 P.S. Thank you again so much for having me Beth, it was such a treat to stay with you and I am so grateful!

Korean War Memorial

Library of Congress

US Capital