Washington, D.C — Blue Trainer Travels

See

EVERYTHING.

Everything. There is so much to see in Washington, D.C, that 3 days was nowhere near enough what we should have spent. If I can ever convince J to go back, we will be spending much more time here.

So what’s the list you ask.

All the museums. We managed to go to the following and here are the parts that I felt were the highlights.

The National Space Museum where you can find the 1903 Wright Flyer, the worlds first successful plane and Neil Armstrong’s suit from the Apollo 11 moon landing.
The National Gallery of Art and Sculpture garden had some pretty cool art there imitating places I have seen in real life like the Paris Metro. There is also a cafe serving great lunch options
The National Gallery of Art. My own personal heaven. I love art and galleries that have multiple rooms full of art I could see myself getting lost in. Even more so when there is a cafe serving incredible food.
The United States Botanic Gardens. Come on, I’m a plant mama. Botanic gardens help me see what else I could have if J could let us have a bigger house. Therefore they will ALWAYS feature in my travels. This was no exception and my oh my did it deliver.

And best of all, they are all free.

Other places we made sure to see;

Capitol - please don’t be like me and think and hope this is the White House. In comparison, the White House is considerably underwhelming. We were lucky to get to Capitol while the students were taking part in the global protest against climate change. I won’t lie, I was moved to tears here because it made me sad that students have to leave school to highlight an issue which lawmakers should be doing something actively about. I’m glad though that we have all become a little bit more aware of what is happening to our climate and are all (hopefully) contributing in our own small ways.
Library of Congress. A hidden gem. Now that is a building that I think everyone should go and visit. It felt like a secret waiting to be discovered. The inside was incredible. The lady at the information desk told me how it was an imitation of Italian architecture, and it does feel slightly Italian in terms of grandeur. As the world’s largest library, its collections go beyond just books, but they also offer exhibits they also gave America’s first map.
Lincoln Memorial and the largest reflecting pool in Washington, D.C. Unless you haven’t noticed by now, everything here is about being as large as possible, and this monument does not disappoint. Make sure to read the Second Inaugural Address that was inscribed on the walls.

DO

Arlington Cemetery Tour. I know it’s strange how going to a cemetery is on my do list but honestly, you have to go and do a tour. We chose a tour partly because we were kind of tired and I couldn’t be bothered to walk everywhere, but we were able to see some key graves such as the Kennedy’s and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where we were also able to see the changing of the guard ceremony. Fun fact - the remains in this tomb came to the U.S. via the USS Olympia which is docked in Philadelphia.

Washington Monument. If you are looking for a bird’s eye view of the city, then this is the only place that you will find it. Standing at 169m tall, it continues to be the tallest building in Washington, D.C. The best part about this is that entrance is free, but you have to get tickets in advance. We managed to be part of the first wave of people that visited after three years of renovations had to be completed.

Munch & drink

Barcelona. - If you are craving some great Spanish Tapas then take yourself here. You’ll love the food and the service is pretty incredible too.
Duke’s Grocery - has a nice East London kind of vibe which makes it very hip. The food portions are enormous but you will enjoy every single bite.
Pavillion Cafe - if you are already in the museum area then you might as well spend some time in the Sculpture Garden and have some food from here. They make good coffee too.
Nandos - it’s not as good as London or South Africa but you have to go just to tick it off. After all, this is the only place in America with Nandos.

As always, this is a guide, meant to give you ideas but please please go out and explore as well and come back and share where your travels have taken you.