I went to see Burn After Reading with a friend and as the credits rolled I turned to him and said “That park that Linda meets her guys? I’ve been there! I’ve walked on that very path. It’s the one you walk through to get from the Washington Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial”. Heh. I’m one of those people, relating everything they see back to their travels.
But I was super-excited. It was the first time I’ve ever had that experience.
I’ve had the red eye experience and I have to say it’s one I never intend on repeating. It was a five hour flight from Long Beach to Washington D.C. on a plane that felt incredibly small and cramped (even though it really wasn’t). I hopped on board and was totally freaked out by how the flight staff said Dulles – they made it sound like Dallas so I started to think I was on the wrong plane. I figured that they wouldn’t have let me through the door if I was and I did double check the gate before going anywhere near the boarding area.
So yes, what felt like a small plane with loads of people. It was fully booked and the chick in the seat behind me decided very early on that she was going to sleep with her head on the fold-out tray. I discovered this when I tried to recline my seat in an attempt to get more comfortable. She was not happy at all and retaliated by elbowing me in the back – repeatedly. It was a very long five hours not being able to rest or get comfortable. However, for all the whining I’m doing, I did get to see a storm at 30,000 feet which was pretty spectacular. Entire clouds lit up by lightning strikes. I think I was the only person on the plane who noticed because everyone else seemed to be asleep.
I’ve discovered that I really can’t sleep on planes. Which is a problem. I can doze but I can’t managed to shut off my brain enough to sleep. I’m not sure what I’m going to do when I fly out Monday night. Hopefully I’ll be so tired I’ll just conk out and sleep anyway.
Staggering off the plane at 5.15am, I found Washington Dulles airport to be a confusing place. Baggage claim is in a totally different part of the airport and you have to get on a shuttle bus thingy to be taken there. Very weird. But I was very pleased to see Steven waiting for me. It’s been a bit of theme of this trip – I’ve put my trust in people I’ve only meet online and it’s paid off. I thought I was okay with it before actually doing it but have to admit it has been quite scary. I’ve been really lucky that everyone I’ve meet have been great.
Steven was my next host and technically, I stayed in Virginia as his apartment is in Arlington. First thing I did when I got there was get changed and stretch out on the couch. My sleeping patterns have been totally and utterly destroyed even though I thought I had adjusted pretty well to California time. This time change of only five hours has really knocked me around, evident in the fact that I’ve developed a first-rate cold. I must be the only person on the planet who travels to another country and gets sick. I tried so hard to convince myself I wasn’t sick but it didn’t work. I am sick but now I’m working on telling myself I’m getting over it and I’ll be fine when I wake up. You never know, it could work. I’ve got myself some heavy-duty nasal sprays and they seem to be working really well. I didn’t realise how hard it would be to be ill in another country. None of the drugs are familiar so it’s totally hit and miss. I guessed when I went to the chemist but I think I picked the right stuff because it’s certainly working.
But anyway… Arlington and Washington D.C. I didn’t go to Arlington cemetery like I had planned to. I did however, get to see the Lincoln memorial at night which was pretty spectacular. I can definitely recommend going there at night. It’s nowhere near as crowded and it looks wonderful. It does make photography a bit difficult but I got at least two shots during our walk in the pouring rain that I was pretty happy with. The Lincoln memorial really enforced how young a country Australia really is. Lincoln’s time happened before we even existed. It also made me kinda sad because he stood for so much. He believed in human rights for all regardless of colour or creed and that as a species we can be so much more but now his beloved America is something I think he’d be ashamed of. I think he’d be horrified at the direction the country he helped found and fought for has taken. But that’s me getting political, which is boring.
I do wish I’d spent more time in Washington. I would’ve loved to have visited the various museums and art galleries. The Smithsonians! I could’ve visited them and been in heaven. Well, I know for next time.
Fountain at the World War II memorial, Washingon DC
Does this really need a title?