Woke at 3:30 and got off again c. 4. Got up at 6:45, sorted some stuff out for the day, and went to breakfast c. 7:30. The food was delicious - eggs "sunny side up" and crispy bacon - and set me up well for the day. I bought a 48-hour "drop on/off" bus ticket in the hotel shop and set off on the 20-minute walk to the bus stop. I changed in the centre for another route which took me across the Potomac to the Arlington Cemetry.
Once there I walked through the cemetry to John Kennedy's grave with the eternal flame on top. I found it very peaceful and moving there; JFK's assassination affected not only the US nation but millions of people throughout the world, for whom he symbolised the positive hopes of the 1960s. I also found some of the sayings of Robert Kennedy which were by his grave to be very affecting. I then went to see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and read Margaret Drabble's "The Middle Ground" for a while.
I then took the bus to the Pentagon and then Pentagon City. Amazingly they had a huge shopping Mall here including a Fashion Mall which proved very interesting. I had lunch and then took the bus back to the Washington Mall, where I walked along to the Capitol building. More reading here, then back again. Dropped my MP3 player on the steps surrounding the Capitol, which could have been very annoying - luckily there was no damage done. While walking I listened to "Hooker'n'Heat" - it felt appropriate to hear this great blues album in this most quintessentially American of settings. Blues is the most honest of music forms and John Lee Hooker and Al Wilson were two of its finest practitioners.
From there I got the bus back, and very much appreciated the Dupont Circle with all its attractive-looking shops. Also the architecture as we came through the domestic area between there and Georgetown was fascinating, with a great variety of styles including one house which was only nine feet wide. From there it was a quick stop at the Supermarket and back to the room.
The weather has been cloudy, muggy, and dry today and I took full advantage. Tomorrow is due to bring some rain, so I have many more indoor activities lined up.
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