27.05 - Day 133 - Washington, DC
Monday 27th May - Washington, DC (Day 133)
Feast or famine - we alternate between cornflakes in the room to buffet breakfasts and this being the largest hotel we’ve stayed in has the matching largest breakfast. But after overindulging, one constant is the school work although in our large corner room at least we’re not tripping over ourselves.
It’s a 15 minute walk down to the National Mall, home to most of the sights and museums in DC and we start with the Natural History Museum. There's a mix of older and newer exhibits; two giveaways are the number / quality of TV screens and then the level of interactivity. Sienna and Seb seek out those that let them touch or play so they are most interested in the section on mobile phones, though the array of larger stuffed animals comes a close second.
There’s a low point in Geology & Gems when I realise Kate doesn’t have Seb, and Kate realised I don’t have him either. We take turns walking the looped exhibit but no joy, nor can we see him by the giant elephant on the ground floor of the rotunda where we’d agreed to meet if we got separated. He’s wearing his bright gold and green Australia top, so it shouldn’t be this hard to find him. A security guard asks if we’re looking for someone and to our relief says they have him. Apparently he’d handed himself in - so to speak - and was trying to persuade them to take him to the elephant as we’d agreed. He held our hand a little tighter after that but only for a few minutes before confidently running off again.
Today is Memorial Day (think Anzac Day or Remembrance Day) so amongst other things there’s a parade along Constitution Avenue right in front of the museum, so we join the crowd lining the street and spend an easy hour watching school marching bands, historic cars, occasional floats and a few war veterans - glad I didn’t wear my Vietnam t-shirt today by mistake - the kids waving their small American flags handed out by those on the parade.
Near our hotel is a museum called Planet Word - uncertain what it’ll hold we arrive an hour before closing but end up being shuffled out by security when it shuts; it is both interesting and interactive. From repeating foreign phrases to light shows on a wall of words to karaoke (and why songs are memorable) and of course, books to read.
The kids are keen to return asking when can we go back again as we walk the 5 minutes back to the hotel in time for the evening drinks and canapes. Whilst the kids are getting ready for bed,
Kate takes one of the Capital Bikes and spends an hour cycling a loop around the Capitol building, along the mall past the museums and Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial and back up past the White House - it's a very bike friendly city - cycle lanes, flat paths and not many people either.