Just a gratuitous photo of Nathalie in the walmart
Travelled the short distance to Gettysburg where Nathalie had signed the team up for a Segway Tour of the 1863 Gettysburg Battlefield.
This three hour tour involved at first, a half hour training session making sure we were A.Not going to break the machines and B.Not going to hurt yourself. Notwithstanding the video and the training, the only way to get comfortable is to get out there and do it.
Bit wobbly at first
As usual, in the lead
Almost under control.
Now the battlefield itself is significant for a number of reasons, it was the most northerly battle fought, it was horriffic in the sense of the brutality, desperation and magnitude of loss (50 of so thousand in three days), the fact that the South attacked from the north, and it was the beginning of the end for the Confederates.
Virtually all the town is surrounded by National Parks representing the battlefields, and there are hundreds of memorials, statues, markers, and artillery pieces higgledy piggledley all over the thousands of hectares, making a full exploration, potentially of weeks duration. We did our bit in three hours. The shepherd we had with us, Jessica, could not call herself a battlefield guide, nor provide comment on the historical aspects of the National Park, as she has not got her battlefield guide accreditation course badge.
This statue is interesting as it shows the soldier using the butt of his gun in defence.
Once again travelling towards the coast, out of Pennsylvania, through Maryland (named after Mary), and into Washington DC from the north.....the traffic was surprisingly benign, just the multitude of short distance between on and off ramps can make things interesting. Staying at the Savoy Suites, aboutfive kms from town central. Pretty good rooms, with a view of the Washington Monument from out 5th floor window. Room 611.
Parking here is the only place we have found where Melbourne was not more expensive.
Settled in and caught the local commuter bus to Union Station (on the way grabbing a yummy salad for tea) 
Yum...salad for tea...with kale.
Walked to the Capitol building then along the National Mall to the Washington Monument, t
Not a dodgie photo, the Capitol has scaffolding all over it.
Then turned right and saw the White House
Seen one White House...you've seen them all.
Ditto, Washington monument.
Back on the bus and back in time fortomorrow's next amazing adventure......
The city of sirens.
Either there was a major incident or this is just the city where everyone feels entitled to a lights and siren escort. We are thinking this is the city of sense of entitlement....every couple of minutes there is a siren racing past the hotel....must be a contest to see who has the most memorable 'America's Got Siren'.
Nathalie, heeding advice from the Lonely Planet, we made some bagel rolls and packed our water for the day's journey.
Took the bus back into town, stopping near the Capitol building and joined the line for the Visitor Centre. Alas, we were not to enter, as when we got near the entrance, we were told that we could take food or water into the Capitol, and that there was no locker or place to check our bags.
Seems pretty poor that such a security focused process did not anticipate that bags might need to be lodged for safekeeping....oh well. We should have done our homework.....The Capitol building looked better at night and from the outside. But what was not visible at night is the mattresses that they have attached to the scaffolding, at the behest at the ASPCA, to prevent the red breasted willow finch from injuring itself, when they swoop the moths and other insects that are attracted to the lights.
But just down the road is the Smithsonian institute...nobody really knows what motivated James Smithson to leave (then) more than $500,000 to his nephew, but if his nephew died. To the people of America for the continuing education of the American people.
The Smithsonian is in fact a number of buildings in the general area, each covering a general topic, the American Indian museum, the Air and Space institute, the Smithsonain visitors centre...postal museum, contemporary art, and American history etc etc etc.
We did the American Indian museum, which was not so much a history of the Indian people, but what the white invaders did to them......granted no better than our Australian aboriginals fared with European colonisation, but very little about what makes their culture special. We can remember, lament, but can't undo what was done hundreds of years ago. Bit disappointed.
Maybe something wa lost in the visit, but this was the best bit.
Then further To the Smithsonian air and space museum now this place is so jammed full of flying and falling and floating things that to describe it here would do no justice. Imagine a bedroom whe the are a thousand Airfix (plastic model planes of old) planes hanging on wires from the ceiling...but these are real. The highlight was this...
He pee for astronauts
Female model of above....
Could easily spend days here but did not.
Full scale rockets
Moving on from this further.....is what we thought was the best bits...the Smithsonian visitors center...James' body is here
There he is right behind Nathalie.
But the story of the Smithsonian is here...maybe he just thought the Americans needed culture....
A piece of the Hindenburg
Then we finished the 6 km walk to the Arlington National Cemetry, past the Washington Monument, reflection pool and the Lincoln memorial,aswarmed with school children, and into the 17th state we visited, Virginia.
There are over 400,000 dead people here, six hundred and eleven acres, but the most facinating two stories were ; that the land originally belonged to Robert E Lee, who 'defected' to the South during biggest civil war, his land was acquired by the union army, and in order that he could never again use the land, the union army turned it into a Cemetry , and the several hundred Confederate troops who are buried here, have pointed grave stones, ( as opposed the rounded grave stones) allegedly so that the Union soldiers would not sit on, and disrespect them. Did the HO H O tour and it was great...they still have thirty or so burials a day there.
White Marble headstones-government issued
The bigger headstones are where there are comingled remains.
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