Washington, D.C & Virgnia 15.07

It's a Maryland thing, you wouldn't understand... 

Lihtsalt mainin, et Jimmy Charles laikis mu Marylandi reeli😁

Enne hommikusööki tegin tunnise jalutuskäigu Annapolises. No niisama saab ka, aga mina võtsin oma geopeituse kaardi lahti ja vaatasin, mis läheduses peidetud on. 

Tänavad olid enamasti vaiksed, v.a. ühe tänava ehitus. Leidsin vanade naiste abaja. See osa Annapolise vanalinnast, millega tutvuda saime, oli armas. Eestis ei riigilippe muul ajal, kui riigipühadel. Seal olid need pidevalt lehvimas. 

Hommikut sööma minnes selgus, et meile ei antagi hinna sees süüa. Kui ma majutusi broneerin, siis üldjuhul on alati hommikusöök hinnas. Kahtlesin kohe, kuidas ma sellise broneeringu teinud olin aga telefon oli toas ja tahtsin kõigepealt sealt üle kontrollida. Selguski, et minu broneering oli hommikusöök hinnas, mida me ka saime, aga ebamugav tunne oli.  

Kui marsruuti kokku panema hakkasin, mõtlesin, et (praeguses) pealinnas külastaks ikka Valget Maja. See muidugi nii lihtne ei ole, et lähed lihtsalt uudistama. Selleks suhtlesin Eesti konsuliga, kes soovitas Valge Maja külastuse vahetada hoopis Kapitooliumiga, milleks meil oligi siis kl 10ks broneering. Kapitooliumi (nagu ka VM) külastamine on tasuta, aga aeg peaks broneeritud olema. 

Jeep jäi parkimismajja. Vaba koha leidmine võttis natuke aega, sest alguses olid broneeritud kohad. Lisaks ei olnud ma päris kindel, kuidas parklast välja saada. Aga pargitud saime suhteliselt Kapitooliumi kõrvale. Kuigi ma teadsin kaardil, kus küljes külastajate sissepääs asub, siis tegelik uks asus natuke eemal, treppidest all. 

Kotid läbi valgustatud, andsime teada, et oleme kohale jõudnud. Klienditeenindaja teadis Eestis enda sõnul ainult Tallinna. Kui ameeriklane teab juba Tallinna, siis see on suur asi. Saime kleepsud rinda ning asusime järjekorda. 

Meid jagati viide gruppi, kellest iga sai oma giidi. Ma pole ammu giidiga muuseumis käinud aga tänapäeval on väga mugav, kõrvaklapid kõrva ning giid ei pea üle teiste gruppide ennast kuuldavaks tegema.  

Nägime ära Washington D.C. (District of Columbia) keskkoha, mis on Kapitooliumi põrandal tähistatud tähega. Mida ma enne päris täpselt ei teadnud, on see et Washington D.C (koos D ja C-ga, sest lihtsalt Washington on eraldi osariik) ei ole ise osariik ega kuulu ühegi osariigi koosseisu.   

Kapitooliumis töötab USA Kongress (seadusandlus). Hoonet kroonib võimas kuppel. Meile tehti väikene ring, giid tutvustas meeleolukalt Kapitooliumi ajalugu ning ehitust. 

Kapitooliumi tänavapoolsele küljele jääb armas aiamajake ja sissepääsu vastas küljel asub ca 4km Memorial Park, mis tipneb Abraham Lincolni monumendiga. 

Pargi keskele jääb Washingtoni monument ja omakorda selle piirkonda Valge Maja. Kuna jalutamiseks oli maa natuke pikk ja ilm liiga soe, siis mugavaks transpordivõimaluseks on Circulator. Heh. esimese peatuse leidmine oli huvitav, äpis oli märgitud aga buss seal ei peatunud. Hind 1 dollar (oi, siin oli ka sularaha vaja), aga kuna meil bussi sisenedes piletiaparaat ei töötanud, ei võetudki tasu. 

Sõitsime Lincolni memoriaali juurde, kus asub 16. presidendi 5.8m kõrge ja 159 tonni raske kuju. Seal pidas Martin Luther King oma "I have a dream" kõne. 

Memorial Parki jääb palju erinevaid mälestusmärke nii üksikisikutele kui Vietnami ja Korea sõdades hukkunute meenutamiseks. Uber viis meid Valge Maja äärde aga kuna paremat vaadet pakub tagumine külg, siis pandigi meid sinna. Jalutasime teisele poole ka, aga filmidest tuntud ikooniline esikülg on terasaia ja loodusega nii varjatud, et vaatena ei paku midagi erilist. 

Järjekordne Uber viis meid parkimismajja tagasi ning sellega oli meie tutvus pealinnaga (praeguse) lõppenud. Koos Kapitooliumi külastusega läks peaaegu 4 tundi, seega lõuna jäi hilisemaks. Tavapäraselt poepeatus. 

Õhtuks jõudsime Virginiasse, koloniaallinna Williamsburgi. 

Öömaja Comfort Inn Williamsburg Gateway hotellis. Basseiniga hotellis😍 Enne väikest suplust käisime Rocco's Smokehouse grillis õhtusöögil. Ilma broneeringuta saime umbes pool tundi oodata. Meid teenindas ilmselt praktikant, kes vajas kogenenuma töötaja abi. Õhtusöök oli väga maitsev, minul ja emal erinevalt valmistatud lõhe, isal rebitud liha.  

Õhtu saatsime mööda mõnusas basseinis. 

It's a Maryland thing, you wouldn't understand...

Jimmy Charles liked my Maryland reel 😁

Before breakfast, I took an hour's walk around Annapolis Old Town. One could just walk, naturally, but I used the geocaching map. The streets were mostly quiet, except for minor street construction. I found the serene Old Woman’s Cove. The part of Annapolis Old Town that we got to explore was lovely. In Estonia, you only see national flags on public holidays, but there, they were up constantly. 

When we went down for breakfast, we found out that it wasn’t included in our room rate. When I book accommodations, I usually make sure breakfast is included. I doubted myself about making such a booking, but my phone was upstairs, and I wanted to check it first. My booking included breakfast after all, which we eventually got, but it was a tad awkward. 

When I was planning the route, I thought we should visit the White House while in the (current) capital. Of course, it’s not as simple as just turning up to have a look. For this, I got in touch with the Estonian consul, who recommended swapping the White House visit for the Capitol, for which we had a 10 a.m. booking. Visiting the Capitol (as well as the White House) is free, but you do need to book a time slot. 

We left the Jeep in a multi-storey car park. Finding a free spot took a bit of time because there were reserved spaces at first. Also, I wasn’t entirely sure how to get out of the car park. But we managed to park relatively close to the Capitol. Although I knew where the visitor entrance was on the map, the actual door was a bit further away, down some steps. 

After having our bags screened, we registered our arrival. The staff member said he only knew Tallinn when it came to Estonia. For an American to know Tallinn is quite something. We got our stickers and joined the queue.

We were divided into five groups, each with its own guide. I haven’t been on a guided museum tour in ages, but nowadays, it’s very convenient; you put on headphones, and the guide doesn’t have to speak over other groups. 

We saw the centre of Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia), marked by a star on the Capitol floor. What I didn’t know before is that Washington, D.C. (with the D and C, as just Washington is a separate state) isn’t a state itself and doesn’t belong to any state. 

The Capitol houses the United States Congress (the legislature). The building is topped by a magnificent dome. We were given a tour, and the guide entertainingly introduced us to the Capitol’s history and architecture.

On the street side of the Capitol is a charming little summer house, and opposite the entrance is about a 4km stretch of Memorial Park, ending with the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. The park is divided by the Washington Monument, which is near the White House. 

Since it was a bit too far to walk and the weather was too warm, the Circulator was a convenient way to get around. Heh, finding the first stop was interesting; it was marked on the app, but the bus didn’t stop there. The fare was 1 dollar (ah, we needed cash here too), but as the ticket machine on the bus wasn’t working when we got on, we didn’t have to pay.

We rode to the Lincoln Memorial, which features a 5.8m high, 159-tonne statue of the 16th president. Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech there.

Memorial Park has many different monuments dedicated to those who died in the Korean and Vietnamese wars. Uber took us to the White House, but since the back side offers a better view, we were dropped there. We also walked to the iconic front, known from films, which is so hidden by wrought iron fencing and landscaping that it doesn’t offer much of a view. 

Another Uber took us back to the car park, and with that, our visit to the capital was over. Including the Capitol visit, it took nearly 4 hours, so lunch was a bit later. As usual, we made a quick stop at a shop. 

By the evening, we had arrived in Virginia, in the Colonial Williamsburg. Our accommodation was at the Comfort Inn Williamsburg Gateway. A hotel with a pool 😍 

Before a quick dip, we had dinner at Rocco's Smokehouse Grill. Without a reservation, we had to wait about half an hour. We were served by what seemed to be a trainee who needed help from a more experienced colleague. The dinner was tasty; my mum and I had salmon prepared in different ways, and my dad had pulled pork.

We spent the rest of the evening in the lovely pool.