It is TIME.

Before heading out to DC to spend a week with Pam (a most excellent person), I took the train down to see Christian (also a most excellent person).

Here's a shot of the Boston South Station from whence I departed. I must admit: I love these boards. They're the cool ones that flip through all the possible destinations and times until it finally shows what they want it to show. Which means lots of clicking. And lots of feeling cool about traveling by train.


So, after about a seven-hour train ride (during which I visited the bathroom once and I just--I just couldn't use it--and I don't want to talk about it) he came and picked me up and then we began to partake of the Splendour that is Baltimore. (See how I use the British spelling? That makes it even more splendifourous.) Which means that I got to see the harbor (harbour?) and meander around near the water and (naturally) visit the enormous Barnes & Noble in what used to be an old...power plant? Was it? It used to be something, at least, and had these very large smoke stacks rising up through the store. Pretty cool, actually.

That evening we went to a birthday party for a friend of Christian's where I got to meet the gals with whom I'd be staying that night. They, too, are most excellent people. (Actually, the whole trip was filled with these really cool persons, which makes me kind of sad because, heck, I won't actually get to know most of them.) We partied until all hours of the morning (i.e. shortly after midnight) and then I spent a really quite restful night there. Nice.

The next morning I went to church with Christian, who just happened to be singing a musical number, which was, indeed, A Real Treat. After church we spent some time playing around on the piano and singing such favorites as The Pirate Song and The Farm Song and I listened to Christian play some very lovely piano music.

Then we were off to see more stuff, which included the DC Temple, this mountainous white building that rises out of the sharply green Maryland woods. It's the largest structure around and was actually larger than I had imagined it. Surprising. And vast. And just beautiful.

Anyway. So that evening we went on to Pam's place near DC where said Pam and I planned out our activity schedule for the next week. And also talked and had a really grand ol' time. Because Pam is just that cool.

Monday we went up to DC where I got to (and this part is so awesome it gives me shivers) go and get a reader's card for the Library of Congress. Yes. I'm talking about that ginormous collection of books centered in our nation's capital. Then we (get this) went inside one of the LoC buildings, flashed said reader's cards and got treated all special-like (because we were scholars, by gum--the reader's cards said so) and we went to this beautiful reading room where we had books brought to us and I just felt so cool and official-like I nearly fainted. Seriously, people.


After that we walked over by the Capitol (which also was far larger than I anticipated):


Went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, where I saw another Chalicothere skeleton (so darn cool):


Then visited the National Archives, where I thought a lot about the weight of history. And also National Treasure.


On Tuesday, we visited Mount Vernon. It was wretched hot that day, so we spent a great deal of time dashing the sweat from our beleaguered brows and panting and drinking water. But we also got to see where George Washington had lived and where he died and I learned more about him than I had known before, all of which were Very Good Things.

Wednesday it was somewhat cooler (for which we gave many thanks) so we visited Arlington National Cemetery, where we saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (which was both a remarkable and surprisingly reverent experience), toured General Lee's home and did not take any pictures. For some reason it just didn't feel right at the time.

Then we went into the city again where we tried to go to Ford Theatre and found out it was closed for 18 months for renovations, went through the house where Lincoln had died (again, a surprisingly reverent experience) tried to see the White House and were very poorly directed to a spot very, very far away where we kind of got a glimpse of it:


Then we toured the Mall, which included seeing the World War II Memorial (vast and beautiful) along with the other war memorials, all of which were sobering, despite the inane comments and apparent lack of interest displayed by some of the other visitors (mainly the teenage ones).


Then we went up to the Lincoln Memorial, which was probably one of my favorite parts of the DC trip. I love the carving of Lincoln; somehow it seems fitting that he's seated, weary, human, when so many other statues of great men seem to be standing or straddling heavily muscled horses, grandiose and lifted far above where other men stand. I love Lincoln.


By that time, naturally enough, we were quite crispified because we had forgotten to obtain and apply sunscreen, so we pretty quickly made our way to the Washington Monument (amazing amazing and so, so huge) then went home.


Thursday was easy; we went to a local mall with a friend of Pam's (yet another awesome person) and tried on makeup (haha! So girly!) and then that evening we went on a Ghost Tour of Alexandria, a blastedly charming city just outside of DC where we learned the real origins of pink lemonade. Hahaha! Oh. I never knew Ghost Tours could be so entertaining.

Yes.

Friday, we went back to Baltimore and met up with Christian again and visited Fort McHenry, which had many cannons, a large flag, and History. (It's the place where "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written, or at least the first bit of it.) Then we visited the harbor again, did the whole paddle-boat thing (see pic below--and no, I'm not in this one) because going to the National Aquarium was just too darn expensive, meandered around various shops and then ate a fabulous dinner in Little Italy. And then we played Clue at Christian's apartment. Because that's just what you do after a long day in Baltimore.


Saturday, we went to an open-air market and browsed around for a bit in the morning, then met more friends of Pam's for lunch (good land! Yet more awesome folks! One of whom (another MLS student, atcually) looked really remarkably like Rory Gilmore). Later on we toured a Masonic Temple, which was actually incredibly awesome.


(And yep--that's Pam on the steps there. Amazing girl.)

So, yeah. That was about it. On Sunday I went to church with Pam, then we came back to her apartment where we partook of the goodness that is Strictly Ballroom and West Side Story. And played Rummikub. Because that's just what you do after a long stay in DC.

And I also took this picture. Which shows just how lovely Pam is. And just how much I resemble Dick Van Dyke. Something about the chin. Honestly, people. I don't know why I try.



Monday I came back on the train, where I thought a lot, spent much time doing random things on my computer, watched The Neverending Story (which was really a lot worse than I remembered) and wrote ramblings about traveling and tried not to drink much water so I wouldn't have to even attempt a visit to the onboard bathroom.

And now I'm back. And I'm seriously done with this blog entry. Because it has taken, like, four hours to get all those pictures uploaded. Good. Grief.

Hope you enjoyed my travelogue. The End.