Tuesday 6th November to Friday 9th November
*** Pictures to follow ***
In one of the most tightly contested US Presidential elections ever, Barrack Obama won four more years in the White House while we were in Washington.
On the day voters went to the polls we visited the White House. We expected the area to be teeming with people - but there was a quite remarkable sense of quiet.
Modern elections really are television events with the action taking place in swing states such as Florida and Ohio, and the drama being thrown in from the studio.
On approaching the White House, one of the most famous buildings in the western world, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed.
It has none of the grandeur of Buckingham Palace, or indeed any of the other Washington monuments. Outside repair men worked on the footpath with large drills and very few people milled around.
Television crews, including the BBC, were just about visible perched on rooftops nearby as they reported on the polls with America's most famous building as the backdrop.
On election night we watched the event unfold on television until the result was clear.
Washington itself has a small town feel and is a world away from the hustle and bustle of New York city.
Directly in front of the White House, across the lawns, sits the Washington memorial. The imposing tower shoots up into the sky and dominates the skyline.
To the right as you approach lies the World War II and Abraham Lincoln memorial, and to the left is Capitol Hill which houses the US parliament.
The way the memorials, Congress and the White House are so perfectly lined up gives Washington a modular and uniform feel.
Visiting all of these monuments, we had been warned there would be a lot of walking involved. But the buildings are so vast that it takes an age to walk anywhere.
The 'pool of reflection' that lies between the World War Two and Abraham Lincoln memorials is at least half a mile in length on its own - a long walk just before lunch!
It is perhaps little surprise that so few tourists head to Washington - opting instead for Florida, LA and New York. By US standards the city is small and is really only the home of government and the administration.
However, it is a city with real characters beyond the politics there are some excellent museums. There is also the poignant Arlington Cemetery for the US military. On a hill overlooking the city we saw the final resting place of the assassinated president John F Kennedy.
As a final point, I'd like to heartily recommend the guesthouse we stayed in - Auntie Bea's Little White House.
Gerald, the owner of a small home on the outskirts of the city, runs an excellent B&B. He prepared a great meal each morning with his own "power smoothie" and the rooms were homely.
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