Month: July 2009

30 June. Five pictures from my Washington DC trip.

I’m a pretty active person. I live in a city and am car free, so I run, I walk, I bike to work. Every time I have to go to the store, I’m usually on foot. I like to walk. But touring around Washington DC, man that was a lot of walking. I knew it, of course, and brought sensible (yet cute) shoes. But I wasn’t prepared for the blisters. My little toe, at the start of day four was all blister. I couldn’t help but think of the many Americans whose major daily exercise is walking 100 feet from their car to their office each day. When they come to Washington DC, how do they fare?
I took the Metro to the Union Station stop and walked to the Supreme Court. The trains were crowded, and I was enjoying my book, so I made the decision not to fight my way onto the train I was supposed to be on. This meant that I missed the Supreme Court Tour, which was disappointing, but I did wander though the self-guided tour. I then visited the Folger Shakespeare Library and had a great egg salad sandwich at Pete’s Diner. Outside the Supreme Court were a group of people protesting the death penalty. As I waited for the bus, I listened to this protester discuss the death penalty with a passerby. It was an interesting conversation. She had some questions about the death penalty, and also some questions about the protesters. I learned that many of them are on a hunger strike, though not this gentleman.
I took the 96 bus across town to get to the National Cathedral. I love taking buses in cities. You get to see so many things you wouldn’t see in a car or subway. The bus was pretty empty, as evidenced by this picture, but the passenger you can see was also a bus driver, so I gathered from his conversation with the bus driver. He discussed all sorts of things, including his glee in motorists who pass him illegally and then get pulled over by the police.
Jenna and I had reservations for the Tea and Tour of the National Cathedral, and I was early, so I sat in the Bishop’s Garden and finished my book, while ignoring the leaf blower sounds. Our tour, lead by tour guide Myrna, was fabulous and Myrna was a kick. I have many lovely pictures of the cathedral because there are so many lovely things in the cathedral.
This part of the cathedral inspired the most glee. Every aspect of the building was sponsored by someone. And they all had their names carved elegantly in stone to recognize them.
After tea, Jenna and I walked on Wisconsin Avenue through Georgetown where we had a bit of dinner. Back at her home we rested for a bit, before heading out to see the Monuments at Night.

30 June 2008. A picture from the Hungary/Romania trip.

This was a great day with three distinct, equally wonderful parts, and it is very hard to choose a picture. So it may be a surprise that this blurry thing is my choice. But it is, and for a reason. This was taken in the library at Pannonhalma Archabbey . We pilgrims and our hosts traveled to this thousand year old monastery and had a tour of the grounds. The Abbey lost a lot of land during the communist period, but was able to survive because the monks ran a school. Today,
the site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We toured the grounds (beautiful) and the Chapel (breathtaking) and waved at the old-folks in the windows of the old-folks home section (friendly.) Then we were led into an incredible library, which is open to the public. It was filled with books, and light and art and beautiful woodwork. The group wandered about a bit, taking in the space and the light. Then some of us began to stand on the edge of a circle in the marble floors. More and more of our group joined, both Hungarians and Americans, until we filled every spot at the edge of the circle. Brittany came last, and was dismayed to find all the spaces were taken. “You can be in the center,” someone suggested helpfully. She took her place, and slowly began to spin around. For a few moments, we were all joined in that circle in that beautiful library, overlooking the Hungarian Plain, smiling and laughing. The moment ended, and we wandered to different corners.

Traveling with groups can be a challenge. So many different needs from so many different people can be a strain. But when you are traveling alone or with only one other person, you rarely get to experience becoming part of a whole.

After lunch at Pannonhalma, we swam in Lake Balaton, which was just what the doctor ordered, as far as I was concerned, and then went to a feast in Kornye, where we ate incredible food cooked by members of the church. It was one of the most memorable dinners of my lifetime, and included much wine, and then a moonlit tour of the wine cellar. My travel journal for the day says the following about the dinner: “There were appetizers and salads and I think I ate three kinds of meat. Then a dessert tray. There was also house wine and much chatting and talking.” The day’s recollections end with this observation: “Today is a day I am in love with the world.”

It was a pretty magical day.