Washington, the home of the Capitol, the Smithsonian, the President, a giant Abraham Lincoln and sun burn. Yes, that's right I have been hit with the sun burn curse. I had avoided it so well and 2 hours in Washington, D.C. and I'm as red as a radish. Flying into Washington Dulles Airport was not dull at all. They have giant bus trains that move up and down to let people in, drive around and then let people off. I still don't know why they had shark fins on the top. After over an hour queuing in immigration, which I didn't mind because I'm british and that's what we do, I was in! Hello USA!
The trip from the airport to the bed and breakfast was an adventure in itself. We decided to drive through Washington (D.C, not the state as that would have taken a really long time) and after a little bit of in-the-dark-sight-seeing and a lot of getting lost we were on our way to Annapolis, Maryland. The bed and breakfast in which we stayed, Laurel Grove Inn on the South River, was lovely. We had a whole apartment, 2 bedrooms, a sitting room and bathroom to ourselves with access to a kitchen full of nibbles. The bed was about half my height, I am not short, and it was exceedingly comfortable. Also, the view was exceptional.
Yesterday, I had my first opportunity to drive on the wrong side of the road. What a terrifying experience. The hardest part is turning onto a new road and ending on the the correct side. I made this mistake 3 or 4 times; I like to keep my parents on their toes. It was also the first time I have even driven an automatic. My left foot is getting bored and my hand is starting to hurt from punching the door looking for a gear stick but overall it's quite fun in a challenging way. Things I've noticed about driving in America:
- Speed limits seem to be a guideline. In general most motorists drive 10mph faster.
- In a kilometre based car, it's difficult to go miles per hour.
- Fuel is super cheap here.
- If you make a mistake in a Canadian car then it's ok because other motorists will think you are from Canada and the good name of the UK is maintained.
We went to a place called Bowie, pronounced Boo-ee, to meet up with a man who went to university with my dad. We then listened to Space Oddity in honour the town's name.
From Bowie we went to Washington. I had seen on the news that the President was sunning up in California so obviously he couldn't have us round for a cup of coffee. Maybe another time, Barack. Me and mum walked from the Capitol down the mall to the Lincoln Memorial. The buildings are truly stunning. White stone glinting in the sunlight, domes, pillars, lovely. Unfortunately we didn't quite have enough time to look around the inside of the buildings but it was a privilege to see them nonetheless.
All of this Roman architecture got me thinking about America. The temple architecture makes me question in which god they trust. In a couple of thousand years archaeologists will be uncovering a giant statue of Abraham Lincoln keeping an eye on how things are going in the Capitol.
We ended the day with a barbecue, aftersun and Top Gear in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A little change of itinerary due to some left luggage.
