003 Washington Day 1

I was in Washington today. It was an interesting visit. I didn’t get to do what I wanted to do and I’ll need to go back to explore the city more. But it was fun. I was very lucky to stay in a hotel just opposite of a park and ride stop for commuters. In five minutes I was on the commuter’s bus to Washington, for a mere 4,25 dollar. I thought the commuter bus would be filled with people working in second rate jobs. But no! This is a commuter bus from Annapolis, which is a pretty rich area, so the bus was filled with just normal businesspeople who prefer commuting by bus than being stuck in the traffic jam. It felt very European.

The nice thing with this bus, was that I was able to take a bus ride in the city! Like a free sightseeing tour. I got off at the White House as that was the first stop on my list of things to see in Washington DC. It even rhymes. But much to my surprise, I couldn’t get in. Apparently, rules have changed and now you need to request a visitor’s pass six months before you visit Washington DC. Apparently at the Belgian Embassy in Washington, which doesn’t really make that much sense. But anyways. A bit frustrated, I did go to take a picture of the south side wing of the White House. It didn’t do much to me. All flags were half stock and I forgot to ask why. I think because president Ford died.

From the White House I walked down Pennsylvania Avenue which is lined with big government buildings. Actually the whole city is just one collection of Federal bureaus of something. The developer of the city was a Frenchman and it took decades to finalize his project. I have to say that I wasn’t that charmed by the look of the city. It’s impressive, no doubt, but there’s no charm. I thought I liked symmetrical, neo-classical buildings, but DC just has too much of them. And all the buildings look white and relatively new.

Capitol Hill is an impressive area though. I had heard about hours of waiting to get into the Capitol, but this is end of January and it’s cold, so I just could get on the next available tour. I met up with a Hong Kong student who lives in Montreal and started talking to two typical American women. Typical in the sense that they made a whole scene out of the fact that they could not take in food or drinks. Americans have this way of making scenes although it’s not really complaining as we know it in Europe. It’s more making a big deal out of something and getting some attention. Anyways, fine for us, because in stead of throwing it away she handed out chocolates and almond nuts. If I were a homeless person in Washington, DC, I would not move an inch from that garbage bin. The amount of food that is thrown away! Incredible. So, should you ever visit the Capitol, makes sure you have as little with you as possible. This is a rule for all buildings in Washington!

The visit of the Capitol was very interesting! I had an excellent tour guide who was informative and funny. I didn’t expect anything of the visit, but it really turned out to be a must. The inside of the Dom is amazing! Especially when you get to hear more information about the details of the fresco’s and the paintings and statues! The whole building is filled with 100 statues, 2 from each state! I was amazed how much I know about the American History, especially since some of the fellow tour takers had no idea what the guide was talking about. One person had never heard of general Lee for instance, the traitor to the North and the leader of the South in the Civil War. Amazing. The ugliest statue in the whole Capitol was given by the state of Hawaii. It was the statue of the Flemish missionary Father Damian!

I liked the entire visit. Especially the visit to the old House of Commons where the echo and the acoustics are amazing. The way the room was build unintentionally created an atmosphere that made it possible to hear everything the person across the room was whispering! Not so good for a room filled with politicians. It’s now filled with more statues. I was able to get into both the House of Commons and the Senate, which both looked incredible small. There was a lot of ‘On tv it looks so much bigger’ comments. I had hoped to see some famous politicians as it was the day of the State of the Union and there was a law being passed in the Senate about minimum wage/income. But no! No sights of hero of the moment: Senator Barrack Obama.

When I left the Capitol, the sun was out and it looked like a beautiful day. I didn’t want to visit a museum and just continued walking around the area, having a quick look into the Library of Congress (impressive reading room!) and the Court Of Justice. But by that time I was already fed up with the extreme security checks. Really, if you visit Washington, take as little as possible with you. Period. It’s worse than in an airport (or at a festival). I ended up at the huge Union Station, which again looked like it could be a big hub in a European city. I made the fist mistake of the trip by being lured into a 6,95 Buffet deal! I always too my tourists to one of those all you can eat buffets along the road. However, what I didn’t read was the small letters: per ounce. I ended up paying 15 dollar. I also bought my train ticket to go to New York. Excited to see how travelling by train will be like in the states. Another thing I bought in the Station (a day later) was the best muffin I’ve ever eaten. A cinnamon crumb muffin! It was so good that I thought for a moment to go back two blocks to get another one. But I didn’t.