Tuesday 2 September: Day trip to Washington DC and Annapolis MD.
Very peaceful night, with no lapping once the wind died down completely. And we wake up to clear blue sky with the sun just popping from behind the trees. Our view from the cockpit looks very much like a postcard.
After breakfast, we leave Cloudy Bay to rest for the day. As we walk across Westbrook’s boat, we think it feels funny to be moored up on somebody’s private dock, especially as we afterwards walk across their perfectly mowed lawn. We then get an Uber and head for Budget in Annapolis, where we pick up the hire-car.
The drive to Washington in our white KIA is on another highway which seems to be cut through thick forest. Busy, but pleasant to drive looking at all this greenery. It must look even prettier when the trees start turning.
We choose the option park & ride, to avoid traffic jams in DC, so we leave the hire car in a multistory parking and take the train to the center. Quite an intricate process to get our tickets, luckily an attendant was nearby to help us through.
Once in Washington our first stop is the US Capitol Visitor Center, where we visit the grounds, the Emancipation Hall and even the Senate Gallery, while the Senate is in session. All very interesting. Though we discover “in session” means one lone Senator giving a speech to apparently no one except a TV camera!
We carry on walking along the Mall towards Washington Monument, through the Judicial District passing the Appeal Court and other such buildings. Then in a square we come across the Navy Memorial and a very nice Paul Cafe. Perfect timing for a coffee eclair and a coffee. Their coffee eclairs must be some of the best in the world.
Next stops are the World War I Memorial, then Washington Monument, World War II Memorial. All very nicely done, and it is so refreshing to have all these monuments so close together. Although walking in the hot sun made it feel they are not that close.
At the Lincoln Memorial we take our time to look at all the details of this special monument to such a great man. Then continue with a short stop at the Vietnam War Memorial on the way to the White House. We are very surprised to see there are no hoards of tourists at any of these places. Few visitors, but not the usual mobs. And overall, Washington city seems a lot less busy than New York was.
After we click all our pictures at the White House (as close as we can get) we all feel the need to retire from the heat, rest our legs and have something to eat. So we walk back to the business area of DC where we spotted lots of eating places earlier in the morning and grab a quick bite.
As all key monuments of Washington DC are now ticked for Alex, we decide to return to our hire car and drive to Annapolis. The metro ride is just as easy, but the drive back feels a bit slower. Lots of traffic at rush hour.
Annapolis is quite a pleasant surprise, we were not expecting such a quaint town. We walk several streets, admiring the colorful buildings, the State House grounds, the Naval Academy and some of the waterfront (where we can’t really see much due to all the tents that are up for the boat show which starts in 2 days).
As the night sets in, we plan to have some drinks at Boathouse Restaurant but it was too busy at the bar. So we return to the main street and settle for beers and cocktail at Preserve, a very nice bar.
We are a bit pooped and the drive back towards the boat feels longer. We are looking forward to have a shower and crash in bed. When we park the car, we meet Westbrook, and we have a pleasant chat with him before returning to Cloudy Bay. He clearly is very much in-the-know with the politicians and political dramas in Washington.
A very nice day, and we certainly ticked lots of sights today. Tomorrow: road trip part two.
