Washington DC

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Washington DC

Washington DC … Finally we are in the US. It isn’t that we didn’t enjoy the first phase of our round-the-world project, but we must admit that we were looking forward to landing in the US for the first time ever 🙂

South America was fantastic and it left us with the feeling that we have to go back to explore more – much more – in the near future. In fact, under a month in this part of the globe only gave us a glimpse of what we could see in terms of nature and culture.

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However, everything good comes to an end and after one week at home, in Curitiba, re-planning our trip (luggage, budget, etc., but we will go into more detail about that soon), on May 16 we flew to Washington DC, capital of the most powerful country on Earth.

The flight was quicker and smoother than we thought – the 3 of us slept during the journey (we flew with United Airlines), and at immigration, very early in the morning, we had no issues.

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The next step was to find our way to the AirBNB house where we had chosen to spend the next 2 nights. As we have done in other places, we asked around to find out the best options using public transport. We could’ve simply booked the taxi or Uber, as we eventually did, but we thought that it would be a good idea to take the metro, train, etc. from the start. But after 20 minutes at the information desk, checking maps, etc., we realized that we’d have to walk too far from the metro stop to the house, so we booked an Uber – a very popular choice in the US.

It took us about 3 hours from landing to get to Lindsey’s house, and although she was late for work, she was kind enough to make us feel at home from the beginning of our stay.

The house was great – very spacious, modern and comfortable – so from that moment on we knew that it was the perfect place to rest after a full day exploring Washington DC.

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On the first day, although anxious to see the landmarks, memorials, etc., we took things very easily, as Noah still had some sleep to catch up on. We were also a bit tired, so we only left the house in the afternoon for some shopping and a quick neighborhood inspection, nothing more.

And we are ready to explore Washington DC…

The next day was the opposite. We left early in the morning for the city center, map in hand and pointing out the major landmarks. We only had a day and a half and didn’t want to miss the most important things.

So we took the metro that dropped us off at the Pentagon, where we spent some time in the memorial for the victims of 9/11 and the military headquarters.

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And then we walked … a lot. We saw on the map that the famous Arlington cemetery was located not too far from the Pentagon, and that perhaps the best way to get there was by walking. We took the lower entrance, which for many reasons was the wrong choice as we had to walk up the hill later, but if we had walked to the main entrance we’d have spent a long time going around the cemetery.IMG_7289

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As we thought, this Washington DC cemetery is simply marvelous. There are even some tours taking you to the main parts by train. It is a good option if you would rather not walk much, especially on very warm days, but of course the tours leave from the main entrance.

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Family Travel Secret
If you are lucky you will have the chance to see a tribute to a soldier on your visit to the Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC. It is fascinating to see how the tributes are done and the respect for those who have lost their lives while serving their country. Everything holds your attention - the music, the uniforms, the respect, the solemnity itself … Poor Noah didn't realize and when the music stopped he started to clap, which was a strange and embarrassing moment for him.

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From Arlington the visit to Washington was easier, as we simply had to cross the Arlington Memorial Bridge, which is a beautiful sight in itself, and walk straight along Independence Avenue, visiting the major and smaller and smaller sites nearby.

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Normally, as it was a weekday, you would think that the streets around the main sights would not be too full, but there were a lot of tourists and schoolchildren around.

Walking from one place to another, we could tell how proud Americans are of their country. There are flags all around and lots of memorials, each one more beautiful than the last.

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Perhaps because it was a very warm day for sightseeing, Noah fell asleep on the way. I don’t blame him, as unfortunately we hadn’t gone to a park at that point, and the majority of the places we had visited so far were memorials where we had to be silent out of respect. This is against his nature, like many children, so we were determined to make it a fun day. Even when sightseeing, we wanted him to be able to run, hide, laugh, scream, etc. – everything he needs to let off steam.

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Family Travel Secret
As a parent, it is important to be very creative when visiting Washington DC. It's not that there is nothing for children, but as we didn't have much time and wanted to see as much as possible, it is necessary to let kids go to parks, run and do as many fun things as possible, while you appreciate the sights.

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Family Travel Secret
Although many attractions are not in the city center, if you leave early in the morning it is possible to walk straight along Independence Ave SW to visit the major sights of the capital, such as the Vietnam or Korean Veterans Memorials, the National WWII Memorial and the Washington Monument (the Obelisc).

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We were also lucky while visiting the White House. Apparently a day or two later there was a threat there and visits were not permitted. We didn’t enter the palace, choosing to stay outside, but a tour of the interior was very much recommended by many of our friends.

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The end of our tour that day was at the Capitol Hill where we were able to appreciate the views and the United States Capitol, Library of Congress and Supreme Court of the United States.

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The next day we had still a few hours in Washington DC before travelling to NYC, and one of the plans was to go to the Smithsonian Museum for the Air and Space part. Unfortunately, time was short and this attraction was left for our next visit to Washington DC.

However, these are some of the nice shots taken on our last day there:

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We split up (Ruth and Noah visited 2-3 more parts of the city and I took an Uber with our luggage back to Union Station), and the plan was to get together at the station to catch a bus to New York. If we had been a few minutes later we would have missed the bus, but in the end everything was fine and now we are on a 4-hour drive with Bolt Bus.

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Next stop, New York City!

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