Travel-Bug Tales: A slice of Columbia pie......a day in America's capital Washington DC!

Outside Lincoln's Memorial, Washington DC.

Being in America, we had the opportunity to venture forth to the capital city of Washington DC for a day.....and of course I was excited to be able to see the famous presidential Whitehouse.....afterall it is the equal of an American palace! Then arriving in Washington DC, I noticed the further we drove into the heart of the city the more white buildings appeared  like neatly arranged lego pieces flanking big grey tarmac streets, and random people from creased suit-wearers to oversized coat clad elderly laid casually across benches as well as pavements with all their belongings watching the day go by. As we parked opposite the big white Red Cross building to walk up to the Whitehouse, the first thing I noticed was the mass of Chinese speaking tourists crowding around the Whitehouse gates trying to get a better photo. It was a strange moment; as though the international politics textbook page on globalization from my Masters some time ago suddenly jumped before my eyes of thought to say; "This is the new merging world". I smiled to myself in realisation that I was seeing a scene that I would have been unlikely to see if I had been in America 15 years ago, that I could understand the main language tourists were speaking right outside the Whitehouse as though I was in the bustling streets of Asia and the idea that in many ways the world is increasingly merging to becoming one gigantic sky scrapping concrete city. It made me realise that though I don't really know if I would ever have children, I would still like to tell the young about the times I have lived through, and the times I learned about but could only wish I had seen.....like the 1920s. Such is the way of human nature and the idea of continuity that is programmed within our invisible membranes.....the fact that we were indeed in America 2012 jolted through me as the path outside the Whitehouse gates was suddenly being closed from public use by men with wired earpieces, who could not disclose information about when the path would reopen so we could take our Whitehouse photos, and then several noisy helicopters flew out from the Whitehouse grounds only to go towards completely different directions from each other. Then I thought to myself as I munched on a pretzel, mystery solved.....the president probably just popped out for lunch......and the path was opened again for us to start taking photos of the Whitehouse from a distance.

The Whitehouse, Washington DC.

"I have a dream"

Posing with Abraham Lincoln.....

Lincoln Memorial and the "I have a dream" pool, Washington DC.

World War 2 Memorial, Washington DC.

After taking photos in front of the Whitehouse, we went to the nearby Abraham Lincoln Memorial for more sightseeing. Abraham Lincoln has been labelled one of the greatest American presidents for ending slavery, leading the country through civil war and other great achievements.....but what strikes me when I think of this great American president is; despite the fact that he was a self-taught man who decided to become a greater vision against many odds and succeeded, he was still troubled by the illness of depression. I wonder what Abraham Lincoln's wife and son really thought of him.....perhaps it is a raw reminder that there is no true perfection in life and not many can really have it all.

As Abraham Lincoln himself said; 

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." 

Then thoughts of one great man roamed to the next, as I realised I was basking under the sunshine right beside the pool where Martin Luther King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. I still remember the days I spent dissecting the "I have a dream" speech with my pupils to explore the importance of being socially ethical and try to inspire them to find their own dreams during my teaching days.......perhaps in many ways I am still looking for a dream and will continue to do so in my old age.....I pondered.

Karl the Orang Utan coming out for lunch at the National Zoo, Washington DC.

Giant panda at the National Zoo.....

The daddy panda having lunch at the National Zoo, Washington DC.

Georgetown Cupcakes, Washington DC.

The last part of our day trip was spent watching cute pandas at the National Zoo, and then queuing up for 30 minutes at the continuous queue to buy some famous designer cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes! [For more information on Georgetown Cupcakes please click on the link: www.georgetowncupcake.com] The Red Velvet and Chocolate cupcakes are utterly gorgeous, so definitely worth a try if you happen to be in Washington DC. So all in all, a thought provoking and fun day out was spent in America's capital city with my family! Next up will probably be the final post in my America trip series to cover New Jersey and Florida....also a trend post to hopefully help you lovely darlings find inspiration for Christmas parties this year! As the year is gradually drawing to an end and Christmas is near, I am even more thankful that my family and friends are well.....especially those who survived the dreadful storm Sandy in New York and New Jersey. I am inclined to believe that 2013 can only get better in ways that we might not even expect.....so please do keep smiling and have a fabulous weekend my lovely darlings!

Until the next time,

♥May xx

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