Sunday, February 3, 2013

D.C. in pictures

My three-night getaway to Washington, D.C. turned out to be surprisingly well-timed. I arrived on Monday night winter clad, huddling in a January drizzle at the Metro station. On Tuesday morning, someone had flipped a switch and turned on spring. Unfortunately, I did not know that and consequently went out for a jog in my usual gear; tights and jacket, base layer, gloves, bandana, leg warmers - the whole caboodle. I walked out into the beaming sunlight, started jogging and realized rather quickly (albeit too late) that everyone I met was walking jacketless in summer shoes - some even barelegged. It was 21C (70F) and I was positively melting.

I won't bore you with details about the conference, so I'll just state that it was genuinely worthwile and that I surprised myself by being rather superb at networking. I don't know where my confidence came from, but it sure helped me engaging in scientific discussions as well as casual chitchatting with all kinds of hotshots in our field of research.

The pictures below tell the rest of the story. My sightseeing started at the magnificent Lincoln Memorial.



The view over the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument was rather stunning from the top of the stairs.



After getting a closer look at the impressive piece of rock (the world's tallest stone structure!) raised in the honor of the first American president, I took a detour past the White House...


...on my way through the Federal Triangle, passing the FBI bulding...


...towards the U.S. Capitol, where it suddenly looked much more wintery again (at least in this photo).


And as darkness fell over the District, I kept walking on, admiring the city from every angle.


If you ever get a chance to go to D.C. - take it! Even ancient Greece could be out-marbled by this captivating capital.

2 comments:

  1. Ser väldigt sevärt ut! Jag och Tomas har kollat igenom serien Homeland som jag tror utspelar sig mestadels i D.C. och det verkar allmänt fräckt. Tack så mycket för vykortet dessutom! Det kom fram igår. :) kram

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    1. Ah, så bra att den stämningsfulla familjebilden kom fram! :) Har inte sett Homeland, men borde kanske kolla in.

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