Sunday, 14 August

I rose at 5.15am to catch the bus. It wasn’t nearly enough sleep but I wanted to make the most of the coming day in DC, which was a 3 hour bus ride away.

Adam dropped me off on the way to returning the share car. I was very grateful because it was raining very hard and I would have gotten soaked if I’d walked the 30 min walk from the house to 30^th Street Station. On the bus l fell asleep pretty quickly, despite their being air con that made it feel like we were in a refrigerator!

Once in DC I used the small compass I had acquired, and I found the hostel after a 20 min walk. On the way I came across a large supermarket, with great fresh food, so I bought eggs, strawberries and bread for breakfast. I arrived at the hostel and cooked up a quick feed before heading out for the day.

I walked down to the White House.

I continued on until I came across the great strip of museums and important buildings.

I saw the Washington Monument.

I walked down through the war memorials. I was shocked at how many people had died in the wars the US had been involved in. It was rather chilling. Each gold star represented 100 people who died in WW2. The Vietnam memorial was just as moving.

I continued down to the Lincon memorial, and disappointingly found the reflection pool was under renovation.

On my way back through the loop I had a look at the botanic gardens. They had created different sections with different plants. I was given a sneak peak of what I could expect in New Mexico!

There were also some beautiful flowers.

I continued on to the Capital Building that I’d seen in so many movies. It was inspiring to see the building at last. It was magnificent.

I caught the subway one stop to the markets where I was hoping to find some more fresh produce similar to the Terminal Reading Markets in Philly. It wasn’t to be. I bought some fresh meat and vegetables for dinner.

It took me about an hour to walk home. I’d spent a good 6 hours out on my feet, and was very exhausted by the time I finally made it back.

I marinated the steak with the spices lying around in the hostel. When I finally cooked it, the kitchen was almost unbearable to stand in because it of the aroma from the chili’s! I roasted the sweet potato, yellow peppers, tomatoes and onions in the oven. It was a much needed clean feed. I was in bed by 10 as it was such a long and tiring day!