Sleeping under the stars

June 16 2o12 Washington DC

I must be feeling better as I look forward to eating crab cakes that I have just ordered. A white sangria to go with it -the first mouth full is fantastic. A mouth full of bread roll – with jetlag sangria might just go straight to my head.

BUT I am so confused as to what the time is  … the motto  “it is 5pm somewhere in the world” seems particularly fitting

A spectacularly gorgeous day in Washington DC.  The sunshine is out and although I thought it was gorgeous last time I visited it is just so much more beautiful bathed in sunshine. Have just spent a wonderful few hours at Newseum. Had read that it was pretty good but all descriptions didn’t do it justice. Loved reading the front covers of newspapers over the years and the 9/11 exhibition was really moving. Felt extremely humble standing beside the twisted news antennae that came off the World Trade Centre. Standing beside bits of the Berlin wall and watching the wall come down on a video was just so interesting.

One of the Smithsonians

The Pulitzer prize photographs were just great and enjoyed the fantastic short films showing on each level. The journalists memorial really made me think, with a montage of photographs of journalists killed over the years.  The 2011 list included two Australians and although their deaths in a helicopter accident in Australia was obviously tragic,  it seemed to somehow pale when I read of those decapitated or tortured in the various news hot spots of the world.

 Was all put into perspective with a large world map that was coloured to show  countries freedom to news coverage. With North Korea coloured red and Australia covered green, to represent free news coverage, it was confronting to see how much of the world is red. While we might whine about the press just having access to free press is something I don’t think I will take for granted again.  

This afternoon I plan to tackle some of the Smithsonian’s. I am sitting very close to the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery so that will be my next stop.

 Friday June 16 Washington DC

A great start to my first day in DC. Sitting  in a very cool Starbucks in the centre of Chinatown listening to two very fab young African American men have a detailed discussion about Southern food .. Yes I am definitely in the US of A.

icture –  cream chinos, white shirt and very  pale blue scarf draped artfully around his neck, with a denim cap, mid thirties, very suave.  The other one, ditto clothes,  but bright orange scarf and they keep flashing the stunning grins. Thirty years younger I would be melting on the floor – now just melting with aging hot flushes !

Fantastic weather outside. Woke up this morning at Raymond and Laura’s wonderful  Embassy Circle Guest House.

Embassy Guest House DC

Slept for twelve hours in a great king sized four poster bed. Strolled down to breakfast of smoked salmon and fruit. Hadn’t eaten for about 20 hours so felt much better after numerous cups of tea.

Surrounded by all of the Washington embassies so strolling down Conneticut Avenue past the embassies was a truly cultural experience. It was car washing morning. The various  cars being washed by various embassy staff. It was quite funny walking past figuring out which embassy it was by the car washer.  “Charles” outside the British embassy was easy to pick with his white shirt and apron.  Much preferred the seven foot giant in a purple satin track suit number outside the Mali embassy washing cars with his sparking gold jewels.

The food discussion is still going on.  They are debating the best grits in the area.

Out the window, a mixture of great looking Chinese food stores and very cool clothing stores … Albert would be in his element eating dead things that smell and Alex would be walking  out of neighboring stores with armfuls of t-shirts.

I am on my way to the Newseum which I have read great things about.

Laura sent me off armed with a map and discount voucher and told me I could spend hours there. Caught the metro to here. Would have liked to walk but I have been so damned sick I thought maybe I better  take it easy today.

Will definitely walk tomorrow. Metro easy though.  You just go down an escalator into a massive black hole like you are travelling to  the centre of the earth – DuPont circle – about four stops to Chinatown. A five dollar ticket enables me to ride around all day.  Have just got the map out and I am only a couple of minutes from the Newseum. There are definitely some advantages in naming streets by letters and numbers.  I am on the corner of 7th and H and I need to go to 7th and C so almost impossible to get lost she says. Well Laura did send me off with the card with the house address just in case.  If all else fails Laura tells me DC cabs are cheap.  Well let’s see …