20/11/2018 - WASHINGTON, D.C.
First of all – I totally underestimated Washington DC. When thinking about Washington it was always that state in the Pacific Northwest that popped up in my head. That is because the final 500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail follow the crest of the Cascade mountains and have always been my priority thought. But the name „Washington“ got another connotation because I finally paid a visit to the capital of the United States. My primary idea about Washington DC was basically that it is the center of America’s power, the major seat of all the administration and that it probably is – I am honest here – a rather dull city to visit. I was wrong, totally wrong. This city has incredibly much to offer: so much history! So many impressive museums! An interesting city layout!
We decided to visit the Newseum, a very interesting museum about the history and advanced development of journalism and news, including impressive exhibits on award-winning press photography, on front pages from 50 different newspapers worldwide and even a part of the original Berlin Wall was displayed. As we spent way more time then we anticipated in the Newseum, we had to rush over to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. There we strolled through exhibitions about the evolution of us humans, got amazed by collections of skeletons and bones of many animals from the tiniest frog to a big whale, were astonished about nature photography, learned about the different animals living in different regions of our planet.
A total of almost 7 hours just spent in museums took its toll – our legs been aching and we definitely needed to actually walk. So we walked along Constitution Ave towards Washington Monument, further on to World War II Memorial, the Reflecting Pool and ended up at Lincoln Memorial, where a marble statue of Abraham Lincoln is gazing west towards the Capitol. We stood on the steps of Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King held his famous speech. A visit to DC is never complete without a quick look at the White House. It felt strange to actually be at the place where world politics are made. All in all – to speak from only one day in DC – I really like the city. It even strangely reminded me of some big European cities – the gravity of history, the skyline that is not dominated by skyscrapers, the less glamour, the understatement. This city might be in the shadow of iconic cities like NYC or San Francisco, but it is definitely worth a visit.
