Tom's Travel Blog

We’ve had another couple of days in DC, before leaving and heading off into Virginia.

Yesterday we visited first the National Archive and later the Postal Museum! Both were actually very interesting. At the National Archive we first joined the queue and looked at the key documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constition, and the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the Constitution, all of which major on individual liberties). The Declaration especially is very faded and pretty much illegible, but that’s not only because it’s nearly 250 years old but also because it’s spent a lot of that time not being very well looked after. Today of course it’s kept in a sealed case in a darkened room. Fortunately not only was the text copied but additionally an engraving was made of it in the 1820’s which is generally regarded as being very accurate.

The other documents on display in the National Archive were also interesting, and were presented in their historical context with lots of historical information, so in fact it’s a history museum and not just a document archive.

The Postal Museum was fun – very tightly focused on the history of the US Postal Service but very interesting. Did you know that the Pony Express lasted less than two years?  Early 1860 to late 1861, in fact. In that time it lost huge amounts of money, several times the revenue it earned. It was created because the existing overland route was very much in the south, and even in 1860 the US Postmaster General was concerned about the security of the route in the event of secession (which happened, of course). It was replaced by a stage coach service first and later (after the civil war) by the trans-continental railway.

This morning we met the Daughters of the American Revolution (the DAR)! Actually we visited their museum in central Washington, very close to the White House. The highlight is a set of 31 period rooms, furnished as they might have been in the first 50 years or so after the Revolution. At the moment (until April 2017) there’s a special exhibition of (mainly) original fashions, placed on mannequins in the rooms. We didn’t have time to visit everywhere, but what we saw was interesting, The DAR Museum itself is a fine building, so the exhibits have a good setting.

This afternoon we collected our hire car from Dulles and drove over the Front Royal. We’re already having a good time here at Woodward House.

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Looking up the National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial

So yesterday we pounded the streets. Well, actually, we walked up the National Mall taking in the various monuments and memorials and also visited the mnational museum of American History. We spent about two hours there, and that was just going round two galleries on one wing of one floor!

Crowds at the White House

We also tried to get a look at the White House, but not very successfully – we were kept well away from it. I gather that this may have been something specific to yesterday, as we saw a Presidential motorcade. We were walking up 15th St to the east of the White House when loads of cops started yelling at people and telling everyone to get up the street away from the entrance they were guarding. Various other cops – on bicycles! – had all the traffic stopped and eventually the motorcade appeared. There were at least 8 police motorcycles at the front; then a police car, followed by several big black SUVs. Then came two big, long, black limos, both of which had a couple of small flags flying on the front wings. Then there were more SUVs followed by an emergency truck. Next were a couple of vans, each with a man poking out of the top. The first had a big film or video camera – was he filming the crowd? – and the second was a rifleman….. and then there were another gaggle of police motorcycles. So that’s how you travel if you’re the President of the United States.

Then it was back to the B&B for a cup of tea on the porch followed by a glass of wine; and after that we went out and ate Lebanese. Very tasty, but also very filling.

No pictures today, unfortunately – when I came to review them I found there was a dust spec on the sensor and it’s obvious in all the images. The ‘Crowds at the White House image is from the iPhone. (Update – I was able to rescue a few.)

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It’s a long slog, getting to America. First we had a night (Monday night) in a Premier Inn at Manchester Airport. Then early this morning (Tuesday) we checked in and dropped off our bags, about two and a half hours before take-off. Getting through security was quick which meant that we did some waiting and sitting by the gate. After boarding (nearly an hour in advance of take-off – this flight was with a full-featured airline) we did more sitting in the plane waiting to start the flight. Which eventually happened, of course; so then we waited for it to be over, for nearly eight hours, and passed the time doing even more sitting.

Getting through US immigration was very quick this time – there were no queues so we were through within five minutes, and we found our bags just emerging onto the carousel in the baggage hall. The Super Shuttle bus ride to our B&B was slow and extremely hot but we eventually arrived and were being checked in by our friendly host, Courtney Lodico, just over 15 hours after waking up in Manchester, and rather more than 24 hours after leaving home on Monday evening.

We drank cups of tea; we explored the neighbourhood; we drank some wine; we ate pizza in a local restaurant; and we eventually hit our bed in the middle of the evening – which was into the early hours, UK time.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we’ll be off to see the sights.

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We’re off to Washington DC. We’ll be having a few days in DC followed by a road-trip around Virginia, and we’ll be away for 10 days in total.

I visited DC and Virginia about 18 months ago, and enjoyed it hugely, Now I’m going back, and this time Val is able to come with me. We’ll be staying at a couple of places where I stayed on my own in 2015. They both said “next time you visit you must bring your wife”, so I am. I even think she’s looking forward to it!

I’ll be posting more in a day or so. First, we have to get there…..

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