Canada-USA 2014: Washington DC, USA

3 July 2014

Arrived in Washington DC, USA, about lunchtime after an hour+ flight from Ottawa. Took the bus to West Falls Church metro station then the train into the city (Capitol South) and walked to Union Station to meet my mate, Ron, who travelled by train from NYC. The metro here is great - so much better the the subway in NYC - easy to use, clean and not expensive. It is as good as any in Europe.

The walk from the Capitol South metro station to Union Station (about one kilometre) passes a number of federal government buildings including Capitol Hill. The buildings here, including the surrounding grounds and gardens, are incredible. It all reminded me a little of a modern day Rome with its statutes, marble and granite edifices and open squares.

Capitol Hill

The Washington DC metro

With my mate, Ron

Our hotel in Washington

4 July 2014

Washington DC for 4th of July, I guess, is the place to be in the USA on this day. We watched the parade down Constitution Avenue, visited the Washington Monument (the tallest obelisk in the world), the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and Arlington Cemetery. A great day with weather improving as the day went on.

At the Washington Monument we got talking to a Canadian fellow who, with his wife (an Australian), was on a round the world trip flying business class with QANTAS all thanks to his frequent flyer points. He lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

Looking from the Lincoln Memorial down the National Mall across the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool toward the Washington Monument it reminded of that momentous event in 1963 during the March on Washington when Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech from these steps. Wow, hasn't a lot happened in those 51 years that have past!

In the morning we leave here and head west to Skyline Drive, Virginia, to begin our trek along the Appalachian Trail north to Harpers Ferry, WV. Hopefully, we'll reach there on Friday evening.