After 9 hours in a train I finally arrived in Washington DC.
Union Station itself is already a beautiful building.....
but it was only the start of two days full of sunshine and breathtaking architecture.
After the first day, I had the impression of a very unreal city consisting of one monument next to the other, with some reflecting ponds in between so that you can see each of the buildings twice.
The White House
Graves until the horizon at Arlington National Cemetery.... each stone belongs to one soldier of the US army and maybe his wife (her name is listed on the backside of the stone!).
During my hours at the cemetery I saw the funeral of a soldier, first in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where one of his comrades played the trumpet and later when his tomb covered with the American flag was torn by four horses - soldiers and family walking behind.
What else did I experience:
- a guided tour of the Capital
- a debate in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate
- a quick look at the Library of Congress, a very impressive building full of marble and gold
- the view over the city from the top of Washington Memorial
- White House
- Lincoln Memorial
- Pentagon and Pentagon Memorial (opened just 10 days ago for the victims of 9/11)
- Georgetown, a beautiful part of the city somehow similar to Cambridge with historic houses and a beautiful University Campus
- Potomac River and the Japanese Cherry Tree Trail
- Headquarters of NIH (National Institute of Health) with my friend Pere, a science journalist I first met in Boston now working for NIH, as guide
and a lot lot more.
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