Monday 17 October: Washington

Some initial impressions: Washington, like Canberra, was designed from the ground up as the national capital. It shares with Canberra the broad green spaces and leafy avenues, the impressive public buildings, and the multitude of government offices. Like Canberra, it seems a rather soulless place, at least in the city centre. The suburbs extend over a huge area, and the locals complain incessantly about traffic congestion. However we had no sense of being crowded, unlike most of the other major cities we have visited.

We walked from the hotel up the national mall for some distance, then turned right up to the White House. As expected, the house itself is buried deep in the grounds, where it can be seen from a great distance. We strolled up to the downtown area and bought a new charger for our phones (ours only works on 230/240 volts). Top marks to the people at Cingular - they didn't have it in stock, but rang their other branches to find one for us.

We had noted that the city seems much cleaner and better maintained than most. However in one location we walked through a park with at least a dozen people sleeping on the benches or the ground. So poverty is at home even here.

The seat of government. On to the Capitol where we decided to have a look inside. Entry is free (as in there is no charge) but restricted. You have to obtain a ticket from a booth, then wait until your allocated time. While waiting we looked through the adjacent botanic garden (it's actually an enormous greenhouse) which was very pleasant.

Back to the Capitol, where we had to apply stickers identifying ourselves as part of the 2:20pm tour. A group of visitors was shepherded up the hill to a security checkpoint, where all dangerous items (such as bottles of water) were confiscated. Then through the x-ray and take a seat while the foreign aliens (ie people from other planets such as Australia) had to produce photo IDs. I suppose the fact that we had Australian drivers' licences made us less likely to be terrorists. Then up a long ramp and up some steps, and finally into the majestic rotunda. It was large and pretty, and we were shown around by a woman with a voice like an air-raid siren. From the rotunda to the hall of statues (a very nice room apart from the statues), and then to the crypt which houses the catafalque on which Abraham Lincoln's coffin was laid. (Whooppee!) That was the end of the guided tour.

We then had the option of viewing the senate and house in session, so we went up several flights of stairs to a room where everything except purses and handbags had to be checked in. As we approached one of the people behind the desk dropped somebody's mobile phone, which made us very nervous about our many thousands of dollars worth of Nikon gear. Anyhow, they promised to look after it for us, but then the phone-dropper picked up Sue's camera from its pigeon hole and started shouting "does this belong to anybody?" With some trepidation, and no confidence we would ever see our gear again, we headed up the stairs to the senate.

Through another security screen, where the phone charger was deemed to be a potentially lethal weapon, and had to be checked in. And finally into the senate gallery itself. Quite often when watching the Autralian Parliament on TV, one is struck by the small number of members actually present. Often somebody is making a speech with only a handful of other members or senators in the chamber. Same thing in the US, except at times there were no other senators in the chamber. Not surprising the quality of the speech being delivered - "wide ranging" would be a kind description. "Incoherent waffle" would be an appropriate one.

Nikonians dinner. Bob Tomerlin had kindly arranged a dinner for us together with members of the Nikonians team in the DC area. Unfortunately, Bob was sick in hospital and unable to make it. However we had the great pleasure of meeting Dan LaRusso and his wife Alice, Steve Johnson, and Dr Albert Coo. Albert was good enough to pick us up at our hotel and drive us to and from the restaurant, which was out in the suburbs. The restaurant specialised in cajun style food which was delicious. The food was great, and the company was even better.