The Toilet of George Washington.

April 23, 2017

Blogger in front of Washington Memorial — Hey, Mr. Washington!

If New York City was a bright red jalapeno pepper then Washington D.C. would be the cold white milk you’re drinking afterwards. Everything here seems to be quiet, majestic and serious. The subway only has a few lines but it has carpet and leather seats. Green leaves are rustling in the sun and fountains are splashing. This is the city where “The Mall” is no shopping mall and even George Washington’s toilet seems to be an attraction.

I came here with the Greyhound down from New York. We needed about five hours passing Philadelphia and Baltimore with a little traffic jam. I’m actually living in Alexandria, Virginia, which is close to D.C. And I remember what my airbnb host told me at the first day: The people in D.C. are also friendly like the people in New York – but more professional. And I totally agree with her.

1,000 Monuments in a Huge "Mall"

The Mall in Washington DC — A mall full of Memorials

By entering The National Mall tons of memorials are surrounding you immediately. There is also lots of meadow but sometimes it seems to be going lost between all those monuments. There we have the huge Washington Monument in the center of the park. Then the Jefferson Memorial at the Tidal Basin and the Lincoln Memorial. There is also a great fountain with a memorial of World War II. In 1972 George Washington commissioned Pierre Charles L’Enfant to design the new capital. By the way that’s what I’m doing sometimes when I’m bored: Just invent a new capital!

The Chair of Washington and Museums for Free!

Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC — Jefferson Memorial

Moreover, everything is about George Washington. The house of George Washington, the tavern of George Washington, the chair of George Washington. I wonder if they will find a golden loo where he sat sometimes …

When you visit The National Mall don’t forget all those little things like the beautiful Sculpture Garden. I sometimes had a picnic between a curious house of Roy Lichtenstein and a declaration of love from Robert Indiana.

Furthermore, don’t forget to take a look at all those great museums. They are all for free! Yeah – really. I couldn’t believe it. So I went to the National Gallery of Art. It was very confusing at first. I ran around with a map and no clue where I was, where I wanted to go and who I was. It was just huge. But then I discovered all those beautiful pictures of Monet, van Gogh, Rembrandt and lots of American artists I haven’t heard about before like Thomas Cole. Their landscape paintings were just overwhelming.

Rather Unimpressed: The White House

The Capitol, Washingotn DC, USA — The Capitol

I also visited the White House. It is rather tiny and guarded. Lots of security from the Secret Service is all around. To me the house was nothing special and I left after a short walk. (Well, I came back to the Spring Garden Tour yesterday and that was pretty nice because the garden of the president is only open to the public twice a year!). When I reached Capitol Hill I was more than impressed. There is that huge white building just looking awesome. You also can visit it but you need a reservation and it’s hard to get one because they are almost sold for months.

At least there is much more to see than The National Mall. Georgetown and as well Old Town Alexandria (which is close to my flat) are well worth a visit. There are lots of sweet houses with bricks and Victorian style and you definitely will forget that you are in the capital of the United States then. Unfortunately there are also lots of cars in these quarters. Most of the houses remind me a little of Amsterdam and France. You can find beautiful Cafés and also rent a bike.

The cemetery of Arlington

Arlington Cemetery Washington DC — A huge cemetery: Arlington

If you are looking for silence then go to the Arlington Cemetery. Well, not at the grave of John F. Kennedy because it’s really crowed. There is the Eternal Flame but also an eternal stream of visitors every day. JFK won’t sleep well there … But I got a lump in my throat when I saw all those white headstones of dead soldiers. Why are people fighting? Why do we still have so many wars. So maybe this was the most impressive memorial of all to me.

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