Washington DC, or just ‘DC’, as most Americans simply call it, was another historic and cultural gem.

We spent the first evening wandering the National Mall. Starting near the Capitol, we made our way to the Worldwar II memorial and from there we continued to some of the memorials in honour of important historical persons.

The Washington monument is so immensely tall (nearly 170 m, tallest obelisk in the world by the way) that it is really difficult to take a picture that actually depicts the height. But placing myself next to the huge stones and using the wide-angle set-up on the camera might have done it justice.

Lincoln memorial

Martin Luther King Jr. memorial

On our way from the Martin Luther King Jr memorial to the Thomas Jefferson memorial we came across a little Japanese inspired garden with lots of famous quotes and statues.

Thomas Jefferson memorial

Because day 2 was a little rainy we went for some indoor fun!

Archives of the United States of America

Here you can see the original (!) copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights! No photos allowed, though.

Natural history museum

A must! Interestingly, many museums are free in DC. However, the remaining ones are very expensive. So is the food. And the parking. Want to park your car in your hotel’s (!) car park for 2 nights? 110$. No joke. Luckily, it’s off to the airport and bye bye rental for us. Next stop: NOLA… Can you guess the upcoming destination? 

After a long drive from the Niagara falls (about 5,5 hours) we arrived in Harrisburg where we checked into the worst hotel of our trip so far. (Faucets were coming off. Unpleasant people living there. Instead of the promised “continental breakfast buffet” (which er we also paid for!) a ‘grab ‘n go’ style breakfast consisting of coffee and orange juice was offered. Coffee and orange juice. Lovely. That’s just what I usually have for breakfast).

Anyway, the next day we went to the centre, there’s a wonderful market…

and lots of street art (Harrisburg mural trail) due to a really cool project that works with neighbourhoods, artists and organisations to create vibrant murals across Harrisburg. Each year around ten new murals are created in the course of a festival. These are some of the results:

Surprisingly, the Pennsylvania State Capitol is open to visitors and you can explore the building either with a guided tour or on your own.

Built and furnished at a cost of $13 million, the Capitol features paintings, stained glass and furnishings by some of the best artisans of the day. The building incorporates various Renaissance designs in some of its largest rooms: Italian in the House Chamber, French in the Senate Chamber, and English in the Governor’s Reception Room. It also reflects Greek, Roman and Victorian influences in its art and ornamentation. Throughout the building, motives featuring Pennsylvania’s achievements in labor, industry and history can be found. Its exterior is made with  Vermont granite, and the roof is composed of green glazed terra cotta tile.

The Capitol’s centerpiece is a spectacular 272-foot, 52 million-pound dome inspired by Michelangelo’s design for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Even the beautiful and awe-some (!) chambers were open to visitors!

Allegedly Theodore Roosevelt once remarked that “The Pennsylvania Capitol is the most handsome building I’ve ever seen“. I can truly feel him!

Another thing we couldn’t miss out on while being in Harrisburg was the Civil War museum. As I took American literary history (as opposed to British) at uni, the whole road trip so far has been like a trip down memory lane, but New England, Harrisburg and (spoiler!) Washington D.C. were among the greatest reminders of all the books I (had to) read.

Harrisburg is close to Lancaster county, where most Amish families live. As we love Pretzel and were not too keen on a ‘guided tour through Amish villages’ we decided to go to Lititz instead and try to buy some 🥨🥨🥨 deliciousness at the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, the oldest pretzel bakery in the States. We also strolled through lovely Lititz and by coincidence the Pretzel Fest was taking place that very day as well. We had a good time and we saw some Amish people going to church from afar without the awkward, voyeuristic ‘zoo’ experience…

Oh, and we found a bakery selling vegan homemade goodies as well… Too bad… 🤭