We drove to Springfield-Franconia Metro station. It’s on the Blue line and is the end of the line. It was built in open fields so there is plenty of car parking space available. We went in past the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Everything seems to be named after someone!

First stop was Arlington National Cemetery. We climbed up to the Kennedy graves. There are now signs telling you to be quiet and respectful. Perhaps this is because, four years ago when I was there, I heard fathers telling sons that Kennedy was the president when man landed on the moon and other historical inaccuracies. It didn’t help when we got to the Lincoln Memorial. An Alabaman father with his family asked me where the Lincoln Memorial was. I offered to give him a guided tour and explained where the Washington Monument and the White House were. He was filled with shame at having asked an Englishman and will probably be teased mercilessly by his family. Nonetheless, we had a good chat with him. Apparently an Arminian Baptist he had heard of George Whitefield and was excited to hear what we were doing. He spoke approvingly of the King James Bible as England’s greatest contribution to the world. Actually the English Bible has more to do with Tyndale than King James, so that sticks in the craw somewhat.

We walked down to Mall towards the Washington Monument. It’s about a mile, much further than it looks on the television. We passed the Vietnam Memorial. I find it desperately sad to think that all these people died for nothing. The purpose of the war was to hold back communism, but after the Vietnam war ended the communists took over. If the US had responded to Ho Chi Minh’s request for assistance in getting rid of the French after the Second World War it might have been different. Instead, being rebuffed, he turned to communist countries, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Couldn’t see any sign of George W. in residence at the White House, but I did take a look at the Zero Milestone, from which all mileages are measured in the US and which also commemorates the first and second motor trains across America to follow the route of the Lincoln Highway. Eisenhower was a member of the first trip and he discovered just how bad the American road network was. Hence, the Interstate system now carries his name. I was interested in this having read a book (The American Road by a Yorkshireman, Pete Davies) after I had seen him on TV the last time I was over here. It’s available from Amazon.com, but not from Amazon.co.uk (you can register with Amazon.com with a UK address).

We finished off with the Capitol building before returning to Springfield-Franconia on the Metro, having done almost exactly what I had done four years earlier alone. We headed off up I-95, planning to find a hotel north of Washington. But as a result of a wrong turning or two, went round in circles. We finally found this one in Laurel, a Fairfield Inn, somewhat more expensive that we’d planned for, but safer to pick this rather than to continue hunting without success. By this time it was 8.30pm.

Having unpacked the car we wandered out for some food and Marianne suggested the Applebee’s nearby as she’d seen the chef on the box the day before (Interestingly, she’s watched far more television here than I have—usually it’s the other way round!). Her meal of chicken, veg & rice was enough for two days c/o a box (doggy bag).