WASHINGTON D.C.

Saturday morning we take a cab to 34th and 8th to pick up the "Washington Deluxe" bus to Washington DC.  The bus happens to be 30 minutes late.  While in the line, we meet two lovely women, Michele and Barb, who are returning to Washington where they live.  We have a very nice conversation which continued on the bus.  The bus ride took 4 hours.  We arrive at Union Station in Washington DC at 2.45pm

                                              UNION STATION, WASHINGTON D.C

ST.JOSEPH'S ON CAPITOL HILL

We eventually find our hotel after we kind of walk in a circle.  The location is perfect.  We are literally a few blocks from the Capitol Building.  We settle into Hotel Liaison,  it is an Affinia hotel.  We have stayed in an Affinia hotel in New York before.
We attend Mass at St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill at 5.30pm .  It was very nice.
We try to go on an evening tour, but unfortunately the tour is sold out so we head for an evening walk to the Capitol Building and walk around there and down past the reflecting pool, it is beautiful.

                                                THE CAPITOL BUILDING  

                                                        WASHINGTON MONUMENT

Sunday morning -  we get up and out to pick up the "Hop on hop off" bus to do the "tour" of Washington. We do the red loop and then the blue loop before we stop for lunch.  We drive by all the sights and monuments, the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial.  I am surprised to find out that the World Was 2 Memorial was only built in 2001 and opened to the public in 2004.  It is beautiful.  It is the semicircular monument in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

                                              WORLD WAR 2 MEMORIAL IN FRONT
                                                       of the LINCOLN MEMORIAL


The blue loop takes us to  The White House,  Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon.  They ask us not to take pictures of the Pentagon as it is against the law.  You are able to see the repairs made to the building after the horror of  9/11.

                                                        THE WHITE HOUSE

                                                                    ARLINGTON



We had lunch at a place called  the Potbellied Sandwich Work.  We have soup and a sandwich before we picked up the yellow loop.  We take the yellow loop knowing that Terry will not be able to finish the tour as he has a meeting at Dupont Circle.  Terry leaves the bus and I continue back to stop 17 - the Willard Hotel where I pick up the red loop back to Union Station.  On the last leg of the red loop we pass the Canadian Embassy that has a most important spot.  It looks out onto the Capitol Building.
All other embassies are in another part of town.  The tour guide tells us it has such an important position because of the close ties between Canada and the USA.  Feels good to hear that.
I get myself back to the hotel and while I wait for Terry I "Skype" with Roision.  It is so good to be able to visit with her like this on a daily basis.  I also chat with Jonathan and Hannah and Terry's Mom calls me on my cell for a chat.
Terry has his meeting but has a hard time finding a cab to get him home - NYC this is not...  It starts to rain and he does not get home until agter 7 pm.
We have a quiet evening at home in the hotel.

Till tomorrow