Holiday Trip to Washington, D.C.

Don and I traveled to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and Wednesday. What a great trip!

We parked at nearby Harbor Park in Norfolk at the new Amtrak station. From there, we took Amtrak's bus to Newport News. We rode the train to Washington, D.C.  The trip was very relaxing. Don and I could get up, walk around, stretch our legs, read, go to the restroom, use our cell phones, eat in the dining car, etc. The views were pretty, too, although the windows were a little grimy.

Don and I at the Washington Ballet

Once in D.C. we took the Metro to our conveniently-located Club Quarters Hotel.Tuesday night, we watched Septime Webre's Nutcracker, performed by the Washington Ballet, at the beautiful Warner Theatre. It was enjoyable. It's a version of the Nutcracker with distinctly American allusions, such as to Native Americans, George Washington as the Nutcracker, etc. The only world-class Nutcracker I had ever seen was the Boston Ballet, so it was interesting to see the differences. The music and dancing were, of course, very beautiful. This production had lots of children in it, who were very cute!

The Beautiful Warner Theatre

On Wednesday our train didn't leave until 2:30 PM, so we had some time to explore. We visited some of the museums and walked around and took in the sights. We didn't have a bad meal the whole time we were there! A civil war photography exhibit was a highlight, especially one where the old stereoscopic prints were re-done as a 3-D exhibit. We felt like we were standing right there, like we could touch the subjects of the photographs. Another highlight was a sculpture by Xu Bing, "Monkeys Grasping for the Moon." There were lots of exhibits on the theme of Muslim and Arab culture, which were all very enlightening.

Don and I got a lot of reading done on the train. I finished a Dale Carnegie book, and I read all of a well-written novel, The Song of Achilles. I'd bought it for $3.99 on my Nook, a great deal! Our train did have internet access for those who were so inclined, but Don and I deliberately left the computers home this trip. We are already thinking of what other adventures we can start together, especially by train.

Another view of the Warner Theatre