A Capital Idea

Last weekend marked our final trip in the States: D.C. On Friday morning Emily, Rachel and I hurried out of class to catch the first of our buses to the capital city. It was a long day, with over 8 hours spent sitting on smelly, cramped buses. But we made it, and it was so worth it.

More tourist shots at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial

When I first moved to Virginia in 2004 my family and I stayed in Washington D.C for a few days. It was my first introduction to the country that was to be my home for the next three years. I didn't know that I would again be returning a few years later by myself.  I remember loving it then and I think it's fitting that my farewell to the US this time was also celebrated with a trip to the Capital. I still love it. It's such a gorgeous city, in fact it's probably the only city where I can maybe see myself living at some point in the future. There's none of the hustle and bustle of New York City that I quickly find claustrophobic. Instead, it is clean and spread out, with plenty of greenery and big open spaces; it's a perfect midway between the excitement of New York City and the calm and beauty of Philadelphia. We were lucky enough to be staying in the picturesque and historic district of Georgetown thanks to a lovely family friend (Thanks Ed!) and so awoke every day to walk down beautiful colonial streets flanked by stunning houses. It was perfect.

The Vietnam Memorial;
inscribed with the names of all those who fell. 

Another fabulous thing about the city is not only that there's so much to do but that it's nearly all free. Perfect for budget student travels! In addition, our trip was blessed with absolutely stunning weather and we all came away with some hilariously brilliant flipflop, bag strap, and even necklace tans. What more can a girl want.

We started our adventure by wandering around all the Monuments in the south of the city. Wow. From the grand and majestic Abraham Lincoln Memorial to the truly touching and moving Korean and Vietnam memorials the entire area is absolutely beautiful. Sadly the reflection pool was under renovation and so we had to refrain from yelling "Jenny" in thick southern drawls and imitating Forrest Gump. Also we just missed the stunning blossoming of the famous cherry blossom trees. A gift from Japan before the First World War, every year thousands of these trees explode with colour across the city  and it is marked with the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

The stunning Cherry Blossom
that we sadly didn't get to see.

On Sunday morning we took a bus ride to the other end of the city to see the Capitol Building and the Folger Shakespeare Library. A true English geek's heaven, the library boasts the largest collection of Shakespeare manuscripts and rare Renaissance books in the world. It was just a brief tour but the building was beautiful.

While Emily and Rachel continued their cultural tour with a trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum I stayed outside in the glorious 30 degree heat. The weather was just too good to miss out on so I grabbed a sandwich and watched the world go by in the bustling National Mall; the main strip which extends from the Abraham Lincoln Memorial all the way to Capitol Hill and is flanked on both sides by every type of museum imaginable.

The weekend flew by so quickly that there's still so much I would love to go back and do: A walk around the tidal basin where there are even more memorials; a trip to Arlington Cemetery renowned for its haunting beauty and of course all the Smithsonian museums. We packed a lot in to our weekend break away and as we boarded the bus on Monday afternoon I was sad to leave. Until next time DC.