Washington D.C.

There we are, emerging from the subway into the sun that is accompanied, however, by strong and cold winds. Altough the day started cloudy, we are lucky again.
Now, I am standing right in the nation's frontyard, the National Mall that stretches almost 5 km from the Potomac river in the west to the Capitol Hill in the east.



Here, the US throws its parties, from presidential inaugurations to folk festivals. And here, in the jumble of museums and monuments lining the green, the Americans memorialize their cultural, political and scientific achievements.



At the center, the phallic Washington Monument is the axis of the cross formed by the White House (in the north), the Lincoln Memorial (west), the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (south) and the Capitol (east).

Now, let's go on top of the 170 m (555 feet) high Monument and get an overview!



North: Howdy, Mr. Bush! - The White House area.



East: the Lincoln Memorial, symbol of the civil rights movement. I imagined the Reflecting Pool in front to appear a little more spectacular, however.



East: Capitol Hill, political center of the the US government and geographic center of D.C. itself.



We spend the evening enjoying the atmosphere in the quarter of Georgetown, exploring the variety of shops until our stomach reminds us that it's time for dinner.



A passing-by couple recommends a nice restaurant in China Town, which is actually a tiny district in comparison to this impressive arch.



Before leaving to New York, a children's dream of mine becomes true in the National Air & Space Museum: I see the Apollo 11 Lunar Module the astronauts Aldrin and Armstron used to land on the moon. They also have some original moon stones here!