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Published: November 5th 2007
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Washington Cathedral
As seen from the top of the bus through the trees. Well, the idea was a long sleep. Didn’t quite work out that way. Jet lag - yippee! Up at 5.30, but wasn’t too fussed about it as I had slept for a few hours. I got up to work on my blog and just generally do my thing. I went down to the lobby of the hotel to get some coffee - only to be told that the clocks had changed and that it was actually an hour earlier than I had thought. Oh well - that’s what naptime is for.
So, I had a long time this morning to work on my blog, journal and just generally get organised. I was also able to look at photos that Lynn had brought me of Russ, Diane and the kids. It was so fun to see them all in photos, as I don’t get to see enough of them in reality. Mom and Lynn got up relatively early as well, so we had a great time just looking at the photos and laughing.
Eventually, we decided it was time to venture out into the big city. We wandered over to a Starbucks for coffee and scones while we discussed what
the day would hold in store. We decided to start out with the open top bus tour. I have become completely hooked on these. Whenever I go to a new place, I always try to do one. They are a brilliant way of seeing everything on offer in a few hours. They are also wonderful in getting a sense of the layout of a city - something that, being directionally challenged, I find most useful.
We had great bus karma all day today, so didn’t have to wait at all for the bus to turn up. On we got and made our way to the top. We drove around DuPont Circle and through Woodley Park, eventually arriving at the Washington National Cathedral. We decided to hop off here and have a look around. It is genuinely beautiful. Huge space with stained glass windows that were just glistening in the sunshine. Because it was Sunday, we stayed long enough to hear the beginning of the service. Listening to the organ and the choir fill that space with music was a magical moment. I managed to get myself into a bit of trouble as I continued to take photos as the
Washington Cathedral
One of the rose windows. service started. The priest made it quite clear that was unacceptable behaviour, so I did as I was told and put my camera away.
The tour guide told us that the cathedral is meant to represent all faiths in keeping with the American way. Maybe - maybe not. The cathedral is filled with images of Christ and the service was decidedly High Anglican. Made the three of us wonder how people who are of a different faith would respond to that statement!
Walking out of the cathedral, there was another bus waiting for us (remember what I said about the good bus karma??), so we hopped on for the rest of the tour. We, quite literally, saw it all. Some of the highlights included Embassy Row, where I got to see the UK embassy. Georgetown, which I thought, was absolutely gorgeous. In fact, I would like to come back and spend a weekend just wandering around its streets. We went out to Arlington Cemetery before we hit the big time. We saw all of the monuments on the mall as well as the Capital, the Supreme Court and the White House. All accompanied by very interesting commentary on
Washington Cathedral
Before I got into trouble for taking photos during the service. what we were looking at. I took loads of photos as, again, the day was absolutely stunning.
By the time we had finished the complete circuit, we were all a bit chilly and Miss Lynn had decided that it was definitely time for lunch. We stayed on the bus back to DuPont Circle and hopped off looking for a place to eat. We decided on La Tomate, an Italian bistro where Mom and Lynn had eaten before. It was delicious. I had a pork chop rolled with ham, cheese and mushrooms that just hit the spot. After all the good food, we decided we needed a bit of a walk, so we strolled back to the hotel stopping off in some of the really fun, eclectic shops along the way.
After a much needed rest, we headed out for the evening. We began at the bar in our hotel called Off the Record. We loved it. It is dark and filled with booths where one can drink lovely, grown-up drinks and nibble on salty food. It really felt as though we were Woodward and Bernstein having a clandestine meeting with Deep Throat - or maybe we just have
Georgetown
A typical street. a lot of imagination.
We went on to dinner - and my goodness, did we score a home run. Mom had found a place called Citronelle that she had read about and thought sounded interesting. It was fabulous from beginning to end. They had a nine course tasting menu, but the three of us decided that nine courses (not to mention the accompanying nine glasses of wine) was a bit much, so we settled for the a la carte menu. One dish was more delicious than the one before it. Everything was top of the line and the wines we drank were fabulous as well. We ate and drank until we were beyond sated, then came back to this gorgeous room for a good night’s sleep.
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