Washington - the city where it all began

We arrive in Washington and are immediately overwhelmed by the heat. But it's good that the Americans cool down all enclosed spaces, including the subway. First, we go to our AirBnB accommodation, which is located a bit outside the city. The travel guides explicitly warn against this area. That could explain the low price. In fact, there are no fair-skinned people in the area. It's no wonder that Americans constantly have recurring racism problems when neighborhoods in Washington are divided by skin color. From there, we take a walk to Downtown. Several blocks and a good hour later, we end up directly at the Washington Mall, the central green space in the city. Here, one monument follows another. The White House and several museums can also be found here. Since we don't want to go anywhere in the late afternoon, we take a look at the Capitol, the Washington Monument from a distance, and the White House. It's getting dark and the capital mosquitoes seem to like German blood. With tired feet, we search for a supermarket. From there, we want to take an Uber back, which is not easy without internet and without Starbucks nearby. However, we manage to win the challenge and have our first Uber ride ever. Yippee!

The next morning, we chat with our host Shaun. He is 54 years old, dark-skinned, homosexual, and has been relying on subletting since the real estate crash. One long-term tenant is a Mormon who works as an intern for a conservative Republican. Everything is different here, but it seems to work. Today, we use the DC Streetcar, a tram that takes us to downtown for free. The first stop is the Air and Space Museum, where various shuttles, capsules, and similar things are on display. Afterwards, we go to the Museum of American History. We already know many things from school, but the original artifacts make a difference. Thanks to the Smithsonian Foundation, the really good museums in the capital are free for everyone. By now, the midday heat is over and we can check out the monuments in honor of American Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. From the point where Martin Luther King delivered his famous 'I have a Dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial, we have a great view of the Washington Monument across the Reflecting Pool. From here, we slowly begin our journey home. A police helicopter is circling above our neighborhood, searching the area with a spotlight...

A new day dawns and we head to the zoo because we're not really in the mood for a museum right now. The zoo is also part of the Smithsonian and therefore free of charge. Afterwards, we return to downtown and go to a museum after all. The International Spy Museum has all sorts of interesting items from real espionage history and some props from the Bond films. As we get hungry, we go to the brewery around the corner. Somehow, many guests are wearing red jerseys and we find out that the Washington Capitals are playing a preseason game in the nearby stadium. As absolute sports fans, we get tickets at the box office. It's freezing cold in the arena and we don't have anything to wear. Brrrrr... The Capitals are also not having their best day and lose 0-4. But the #43 wins the subsequent fistfight after a monster check into the boards and the stadium cheers. At least!

The next day, we head straight to the airport and off to Miami!!!