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.

Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland 14.07

On the streets of Philadelphia...

Hommikusöögilauas suutsin väikese apelsinimahla uputuse tekitada. Eks ma sattusin kõigist nendest süsivesikutest elevusse. Aga jogurtit oli. Ja juustu. Best Western Plus Philadelphia-Pennsauken (et kõik ikka teaksid, et nad on parimad) tundus selline läbisõidu öömaja, mis asus mitte kuskil. Samas, meile seekord asukoht ja hind sobisid. 

Päevaks oli siis plaan 3 osariiki juurde saada. Osariik 3 - Pennsylvania. Selleks, et Camdenist (N Jersey) Philadelphiasse (Pennsylvania) jõuda on näiteks kaks võimalust. Otse üle Benjamin Franklini silla, makstes siis 5 dollarit (nüüd 6.50) tolli või teha nii 1h 15 min ring. See oli ainuke kord, kus tolli kasuks otsustasin. Sularahas sai maksta ka. Ja see oli kahe nädala jooksul ainuke kord, kus sularaha vaja läks. 

Avise rendiautodega on see, et tolli ise maksta ei saa. Suurel enamikul tolliteedel ei ole seda kohapeal võimalik maksta. Eriti kiirteedel. Kohalikel on äpp/konto vms aga rendikaga makstakse see läbi rendifirma. Seekord otsustas maps meid Floridas tolliteelt läbi saata ja ma märkasin seda liiga hilja. Toll sellel teel oli 1 dollar sentidega aga kuna oli rendiauto, siis läks asjaajamistasu juurde ja saime maksta üle 13 euro. 

Niisiis. Pennsylvania. Üks 13st algupärasest kolooniast. Osariik, kust Ameerika Ühendriigid said alguse.  Meie sihtkohaks oli Pennsylvania suurim linn, Philadelphia, kus elab eestitäis inimesi. 

Philadelphias, riigi esimeses pealinnas, allkirjastati Ameerika Ühendriikide Iseseisvusdeklaratsioon. Philly on olnud USA pealinn 5 korda ning seal asub mitmeid riigi esimesi (nt raamatukogu, meditsiinikool jms). 

Ajaloo juurde tagasi veidi hiljem. Ehk siis tagasi päeva algusesse. Sõitsime üle Benjamin Franklini (kes ei olnud kunagi president, lihtsalt mainin) silla, maksin sularahas 5 dollarit, parkisime auto ja asusime teele. Siis vanemad veel ei teadnud, mida me vaatama läksime. Õues oli juba hommikul 100 kraadi.  

Ümisesin eelmisel õhtul ja sellel hommikul omaarust üpris hästi ühe filmi tunnusmeloodiat, mida kumbki vanematest ära ei arvanud. Philadelphia kunstimuuseumi juures asub nimelt Rocky Balboa pronksist kuju ning sama muuseumi trepid on filmis kajastatud treeningpaik. Tänapäeval on see üks Philly suurimaid turismimagneteid. 

Kuju juures tegime kohustusliku pildisessiooni. Siis veel suhteliselt inimtühjalt. Lugesin trepiastmed üle, sest internetis olev info ei pidavat olema usaldusväärne. 72. 

Tegime väikese jalutuskäigu parki Ovaal väljakule ja imetlesime Washingtoni purskkaevu. Vaatasime mitmeid jooksjate seltskondi, kes olid otsustanud kuumuses trenni teha. Üks kõvahäälne motiveerija oli neil ka, ei tea, kas lihtsalt entusiast või treener. 

Philadelphias ei piirdunud ainult kujuga vaid liikusime Iseseisvuse hoone juurde, kus allkirjastati USA iseseisvusdeklaratsioon ja põhiseadus. Samast hoonest sai alguse Rahvaste Ühendus.

Iseseisvushoone kõrval asub praoga Vabaduskell, mis kuulutab vabadust kogu maal ja kõigile selle elanikele ning mida sai täiesti jahedas õhus vaadelda. Sissepääs tasuta, ainult kotid valgustati läbi. Loomulikult kuulub sinna juurde ajaloo tutvustus.  

Kell, mis valmis 18. sajandi keskel, purunes juba esimesel kasutusel. See sulatati ning valati uuesti. Praeguse prao tekkimise aeg ei ole kindel, arvatavasti 19. sajandi keskel, aga praegusel kujul on pragu  tegelikult parandamise tagajärg. 

Seejärel tegime väikese jalutuskäigu Reading Terminali turule. Teel sinna märkasime esimest korda Rossi poodi, mis võiks kuskil lähemal ka asuda. Kuna tahtsin vältida sama teed pidi edasi ja tagasi liikumist, nägime kohale minnes natuke tagasihoidlikumat tänavat. Turg ise on suur, keskendudes peamiselt söödavale, nii tooraine kui toidukohad. Sõime lõunat, mina clam chowderit. 

Tagasi jalutasime mööda suuremat tänavat. Käisime Rossis sees ja imestasime odavate hindade üle. 

Edasi sõitsime osariiki nr 4 - Delaware, jap, üks 13st. Sihtkohaks olin valinud armsa New Castle (Inglismaa??). Vahetult enne kohale jõudmist leidsime koolibusside kuurorti. Parkida saime mugavalt keskväljakule. Linn ise tundus peaaegu inimtühi. Pärast nägime, et paljud olid kai ääres pargis. 

New Castle ajalugu on seotud nii Inglismaa kui Hollandiga. Paljud hooned on algupärased ja hästi säilinud/renoveeritud. Vaatasime üle William Penni (inglane, kes rajas Pennsylvania) kuju, meid kutsuti ühte eraomandis relvamuuseumi ning jõudsime kaini.  

Tagasiteel tutvusime the Strandil olevate hoonete ja Packet Alley-ga, mis tähistab kunagist tähtsat teed suhtluses põhja- ja lõunaosariikide vahel ja kus tekkis täielik Suurbritannia tunne. Selle lähedale jääb William Penni maabumiskoht. 

Ehk siis armas ajalooline linn, mida turistide hordid ei ummista.

Enne pikemat sõitu tegime veel väikese poepeatuse ning siis asusimegi juba viienda osariigi ehk Marylandi suunas teele. Maryland on 10 tuh km2 väiksem kui Eesti ja seal elab 6 miljonit inimest😁 

Meie öömaja asus Marylandi pealinnas, Annapolises, Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis Downtownis. Annapolis on samuti olnud USA pealinn, seda 18. sajandil. Parkisime oma Jeepi ära, registreerisime sisse ning jalutasime vanalinna keskusesse, meist ca 1km kaugusel.

Õhtusöögiks valisin Iron Roosteri, burks ja friikad. Õhtul istusime veel vee ääres ning nautisime kohalike muusikute esinemist ja siis oligi aeg seada sammud tagasi majutuskoha poole.

On the streets of Philadelphia...

I managed to cause a little orange juice flood at the breakfast table. I got a tad excited with all the carbs, I guess. But there was yoghurt. And cheese. The Best Western Plus Philadelphia-Pennsauken (just to make sure everyone knows they are the best) felt like one of those drive-through hotels in the middle of nowhere. Still, the location and price suited us. 

The plan for the day was to tick off three more states. State 3 — Pennsylvania. To get from Camden (New Jersey) to Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), there are two main options. You can go straight over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and pay a toll of 5 dollars (now it’s 6.50), or you can take a detour that takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. This was the only time I opted for the toll. You could pay in cash as well. And it was the only time in two weeks that I needed cash.

With Avis rental cars, you can’t pay the toll yourself. On most toll roads, you can't pay it on the spot, especially on motorways. The locals have an app/account or something, but with a rental, the toll is paid through the car hire company. This time, the map directed us onto a toll road in Florida, and I noticed it too late. The toll on that road was 1 dollar and some cents, but because it was a rental car, there was an admin fee, and we ended up paying over 13 euros. 

So, Pennsylvania. One of the original 13 colonies. The state where the United States of America was born. Our destination was Pennsylvania's largest city, Philadelphia, with the population of Estonia.

Philadelphia, the nation’s first capital, is where the United States Declaration of Independence was signed. Philly has been the capital of the USA five times and is home to several of the country’s firsts (e.g., the first library, medical school, etc.).

Back to the history a bit later. Let’s rewind to the start of the day. We drove over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (who, by the way, was never a president, just saying), paid 5 dollars in cash, parked the car, and set off. At this point, my parents still didn’t know what we were going to see. It was already 100 degrees outside that morning. 

The night before and that morning, I had been humming what I thought was a fairly good rendition of a famous film theme, which neither of my parents recognised. Adjacent to the Philadelphia Museum of Art stands the bronze statue of Rocky Balboa, and the same museum steps are featured as a training spot in the film. Nowadays, it’s one of Philly’s biggest tourist attractions. 

We took the obligatory photos at the statue, which was relatively crowd-free there. I counted the steps because the information on the internet isn’t always reliable. 72. We took a little walk on the Oval Piazza and admired the Washington Monument Fountain. We saw several groups of runners who had decided to work out in the heat. They even had a loud motivator — not sure if he was just an enthusiast or a coach. 

In Philadelphia, we didn’t just stop at the statue but headed to Independence Hall, where the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. The Commonwealth of Nations also has its origins there. Next to Independence Hall is the Liberty Bell, with its famous crack, proclaiming liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. We could view it in wonderfully cool air. Entry is free; you just have to go through bag screening. 

The bell, cast in the mid-18th century, cracked on its very first use. It was melted down and recast. The exact time the current crack appeared isn’t certain — probably in the mid-19th century — but the crack in its present form is actually a result of an attempted repair.

Afterwards, we took a short walk to Reading Terminal Market. On the way, we noticed a Ross shop for the first time — I wish there was one closer by. Wanting to avoid using the same street twice, we saw a slightly quieter street on our way there. The market itself is large, focusing mainly on food — both raw ingredients and eateries. We had lunch; I had clam chowder.  

We walked back along a larger street. We popped into Ross and marvelled at the low prices. 

Next, we headed to State 4 — Delaware. Yep, another one of the original 13. I had chosen the charming town of New Castle (England much??) as our destination. Just before arriving, we found a bus depot for school buses. 

We were able to park conveniently in the town square. The town itself seemed almost deserted. Later, we saw that many people were in the park by the pier. 

New Castle's history is tied to both England and the Netherlands. Many buildings are original and well-preserved/renovated. We checked out the statue of William Penn (the Englishman who founded Pennsylvania), were invited into a privately owned arms museum, and made our way to the pier.   

On the way back, we explored the buildings on The Strand and Packet Alley, which marks a once-important route for communication between the northern and southern states, giving us a complete Great Britain feel. Nearby is William Penn’s landing site. So, a lovely historical town not overrun by hordes of tourists. 

Before the long drive ahead, we made a quick stop at a shop, and then we set off towards the fifth state — Maryland. Maryland is 10,000 square kilometres smaller than Estonia but has a population of 6 million. 

Our accommodation was in the Maryland capital, Annapolis, at the Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis Downtown. Annapolis has also been the US capital, back in the 18th century. We parked our Jeep, checked in, and walked to the old town centre, about 1 km away. 

For dinner, I chose the Iron Rooster — burgers and chips. In the evening, we sat by the water, enjoyed a performance by local musicians, and then it was time to head back to our hotel.