Day 7 - Washington DC

Early in the morning we stood in front of the US Capitol to be ready for the pre-booked tour. Getting up early was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise in the sunshine.

The tours in the US Capitol were very exciting and we learned a lot about American politics. What many of the Americans on our tour (and probably the tour guide) did not know was that the founding fathers of America took the idea for their country's political system from a small country in Europe. 'Who invented it???' :-)

The great thing about Washington is that all major sights are within walking distance. Ok, after the long walks in NYC, we are already in good shape and walk long distances every day. Furthermore, all museums in the capital are free. And there are manyyyyyyy museums. There is something for every taste. Today we chose the Library of Congress and the National Archive.

In addition to countless documents, the National Archive also displays the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution behind thick bulletproof glass. And I thought the Declaration of Independence had been stolen by Nicolas Cage.... :-) But it's still in its place!

After a short visit to Mulder & Scully at the famous J. Edgar Hoover Building, unfortunately they were out hunting aliens again, we crossed the Potomac River and headed to Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1864 during the Civil War. Nearly 5400 burials take place here annually. (There were 21 today alone!) The entire cemetery covers over 250 hectares and there have been over 280,000 burials since its opening.

As soon as you enter the cemetery, you feel that this is a very special place. Especially at the grave of President John F. Kennedy, many visitors still mourn their much too early deceased.

In addition to the Kennedy family graves, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the main attraction at Arlington National Cemetery. Since April 1948, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded by soldiers from the 3rd US Infantry Regiment. Because of their extraordinary changing of the guard, this regiment is nicknamed "The Old Guard". The ceremony takes place every 30 minutes and is a very special experience. During the changing of the guard, it is dead silent and there is a crackling in the air. The three soldiers show absolute military precision and you can see that they take the matter very seriously.

On the way back to the hotel, we made a stop at the Pentagon. Unfortunately, the visitor center was already closed. But even from the outside, the 345,000m2 building is simply huge. Every day, thousands of employees flock to the Pentagon for work, but thanks to its own subway station, shopping facilities, its own post office (the Pentagon has 2 zip codes) and many other facilities, the Pentagon is actually its own city within the city.