The Capitol : Washington DC

Washington DC is one of those places in the US which are a 'must-tick'. Honestly, I don't think its anything out of this world or a place you cannot do without visiting, but still it's something we all still think of visiting just because its the Capital City of the most powerful country in the world! So anyways, we did a weekend trip to Washington this summer and spent about two days in the capital city.

I would categorise the places to visit in DC as of two types, museums and government buildings/memorials. Most of these places are located very close to each other, on both sides of the National Mall starting with the Capitol on one side and ending with the Lincoln Memorial.

It's not that easy to visit all these places in a car though, as parking is tough to find and apparently expensive. The best way to explore the city is either by walking or taking one of the hop-on-hop-off buses which take you to all the places to visit. So, we stayed in a hotel outside of town and then took the shuttle to town and explored it on foot.

We started at one end of the Mall, with the Capitol, which is this huge parliament in white. It's pretty and it's huge, I guess keeping in line with the majestic squares that imperialist countries in Europe used to build to awe visitors. That's the feeling that you get when you see the Capitol and the buildings around it. Its all open, green, with some water bodies and fountains and surrounded by massive buildings all around. The Capitol is worth seeing from the inside but for that you need to book the tour at least a couple of days before. We did not do that so had to contend with just the outside:).

Just behind the Capitol as you walk on the mall, you cross the reflecting pool which has some botanical gardens around it. Crossing those, you will pass in front of many museums: Art, Sculpture, Space, American History, Natural History and so on. All these museums are run by the Smithsonian organisation and have a free entry. Have heard they are very good but we did not get a chance to see them from the inside, so can't say for sure.

As you walk along, you pass other government buildings or see them at a distance, the National Archives, Supreme Court, Reagen Buildings etc. They all look magnificent and give you an aura of being at a different kind of place.

Near the end of this Mall, you will see at the right side possibly the most photographed building of DC, the White House. It has a huge playing field called the Ellipse just in front of it. But the house isn't as huge as you would expect to be. Its this little white building which you can see from a distance with green gardens all around and a fountain in front. You still get yourself photographed in front of the house, but it does leave you asking for more. The White house again you can take a tour inside if you book in advance.

And then you come to the memorials area, all around the Basin. First you see to the Washington Memorial, a huge white obelisk on a raised platform. Its quite a dominating structure and visible from quite a distance all around.





Then you have the World War II Memorial, which is a series of fountains and overlooking the Lincoln Memorial.





The Lincoln Memorial is majestic too and houses a huge statue of Lincoln sitting in a chair (like a throne?:) ). From the memorial, you can also get a view of the Potomac river behind it. As you walk along, you will pass the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam memorial.


Then as you walk around the river basin, you cross the Martin Luther King Memorial and the FDR Memorial.







And at the end is the Jefferson Memorial, another huge white structure on a raised platform with Jefferson's statue standing majestically inside.



Washington is supposed to be pretty at night, all lighted up. Also there are a couple of cruises there, which take you around the Potomac river and show all the monuments at night. We couldn't see that but am guessing would be fun.  Also DC is a must-visit during the spring season with Cherry Blossoms everywhere! In the photographs, the whole basin area looks magnificent in white and pink. Maybe for next time:)! Another place we did not visit but looks worthwhile is the National Cathedral, guess should try to see it if you get a chance.

Other than that, we also visited Georgetown which is the old part of Washington with European looking streets and houses which also neighbours the Georgetown University. It was a nice walk, and we could lunch at an Indian restaurant. Wasn't anything great though, so guess can give it a miss.

So all in all it was a weekend out and a chance to see the seat of the American government. Impressive but not hugely.