capitol ceilings and foreign food (d.c. part ii).

Here's the second installment of my vacation to Washington D.C.


day three.

Monday, we went on a tour of the Capitol. We got to see the old Supreme Court Chamber, the Senate (which was really boring because they were on recess) and lots of chandeliers, paintings, and statues everywhere. It was like the Texas Capitol...but bigger. Great comparison, right?

The building -- especially the ceiling -- was so beautifully intricate, so cramped with minute details that I couldn't help but admire it. It's kind of amazing.

my protege, i mean, sister.

After lunch, we visited the National Archives and saw the Declaration of Independence and other really old things like that. They were really strict about no photography...so naturally my cousin had to take a picture. The security guard wasn't very happy.

Then, that evening, I went with my parents & sisters to see one of my dad's old friends. They live out in Virginia and have an adorable almost-2-year-old.

We took the metro back and didn't get to the hotel until 11:30.

day four. 

We slept in and then went to the Natural History Museum, where I learned that humans are 60% similar to banana trees. I didn't bring my camera on that excursion because I was tired, but that night we went to an Ethiopian restaurant so I had to document that.

They had a plate like that for every four people to share. There was this really spongey bread that you used to pick up the other food -- potatoes and chicken and carrots and other things with various sauces. I tried some of it, I really did, but I just didn't like it. It's too different, or something. Not to my taste. But hey, I also hate soda, onions and seafood, so maybe I'm just weird.

day five. 

Woke up really early to wait outside the White House for about an hour in drizzling weather. Fun times! We got to walk through some rooms and that was pretty much it. No pictures, because the security there is really strict. Afterwards, we were all hungry, so we ate breakfast (it was only nine!) at this French restaurant. They had chocolate to spread on the bread (like Nutella, which my mom doesn't buy anymore, sadly) and honey to drizzle over French toast and I decided I like French food and I want to go there. Yep.

We had Chipotle for lunch, where there was a little incident of burrito theft that we can all laugh about now (well, almost all of us) and then went to the Air and Space Museum. I...saw lots of airplanes? Later in the afternoon I went swimming at the hotel and it rained.

The third and final installment, including some of my most favorite places & pictures...coming soon.

-Kendall

from planes to trains (d.c. part i)

I'm home from Washington, D.C.! It was marvelous, the weather was nice despite everything, I got to see my family, etc. etc. Just a warning, though: I took 244 pictures. So, this may take a while.

day one.

We landed in Baltimore and then took the Amtrack into the city. From there we took the Metro and did some walking, two things we got quite accustomed to this week. We got settled in our hotel -- I shared a room with my aunt & cousin, for the sake of space.

My whole family went out for dinner at an Italian place. Traveling with 16 people is definitely an adventure. It's always interesting to watch waiters raise their eyebrows after they hear the number of seats needed. I think it was definitely good for their businesses, though. ;)

Walking around town at night.

day two.

Sunday morning, we went to the Eastern Market, this outdoor...well, market. I almost bought some sunglasses, because it was super sunny and like the smart person I am, I left mine at home. But again, like the smart person I am, I also left my money at home...so that didn't happen.

They had beautiful strawberries. 

From there, we took the Metro to the National Mall. Now, in all the pictures I've ever seen of it, it looks all green and happy with people picnicking in the grass and stuff. In reality, it looked like Texas. Which is to say, very sad. But the Washington Monument was still an impressive figure.

We took some time for walking around and found these ducks. Quack! 

Then the majority of the afternoon was spent in the Holocaust Museum. It was very hallowing; I've read many books about this subject, but this put everything in a new light, per se. Even my cousin, who's been to several Holocaust museums, said she enjoyed it. 

That night we went to a deeelicious Indian restaurant (thank you Clarissa for finally teaching me how to spell that word! Hah) but I forgot my camera. It was just as well, because by the end of the week I was so tired of lugging that thing around. I even had a bruise from where it would hit me repeatedly as I walked. #dedication

metro motion blur

More to come!

It's so nice to be back blogging. I can't remember the last time I didn't blog for a week. That's sad. Anyway, thank you so much to my guest posters! You should check out their posts if you haven't already. :) Have an awesome day!

-Kendall 

blackberrying {a guest post by Libby}

 To me, blackberrying is the the end of many things, and the beginning of even more. The first opportunity to harvest these juicy fruits usually arises the last week of the summer holiday, but we've been waiting for them to ripen since late July. We spot these berries, rotund and deep purple, and we know. We know that our fridge will soon be filled with containers of easy jam--the kind that doesn't required setting and jelling, but is more like a preserve. We know that in a few weeks, school will have started and the halcyon days will have passed. And we know, that on cold November mornings, a bit of blackberry jam on toast will be an instant reminder of summer.

Even though I often come home with bramble-induced cuts on my arms, as I am invariably inappropriately dressed, blackberrying is one of my favourite things. It is just me, my parents, and our dog. Sallydog loves blackberries. She loves sticking her nose deeper and lower into the bushes than we dare go, and sourcing as many berries as possible. Whilst that crazy dog is occupying herself, we gathered handfuls of blackberries. Of course, only the ripest will do. They must be so ripe they burst slightly when you pull them off the bush, leaving some purple stains on the tips of your fingers. The purple en grains itself on my hands, a tattoo and reminder of the nearing of autumn.

{those brownish clusters? they're unripe berries}

Right now, I'm waiting for those stains, waiting for ripeness and Sundays spent making blackberry-based treats in the kitchen and a lasting reminder of lazy summer days. Our blackberrying expeditions are the best memories of summer days, moments where I am just in a field, picking berries and not doing anything else. We are lucky enough to live in a small village, surrounding by three different farms where we can walk the dog and pick blackberries to our heart's content. It's so much more open than visiting a fruit farm where you can pick your own, because this is real--and I'm a big believer in real. These are the bushes that line the farms that produce the wheat. This is finding my home. This is living

 Is there anything in particular that feels like those last few precious days of summer to you?
xx
Libby

I'm Libby, England, thirteen.I weave many words, take lots of pictures, and dance in lovely dresses. I blog about the beauty in the everyday, and chart my days as I try and be a more positive girl. Oh, and I like blackberries.