11th September - These boots were made for walking.

Once again I awoke at an unearthly hour before the sun had even risen but surprisingly I was beginning to quite like it!

By 6am I headed off down to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. For $16 I could you can eat as much as you like of eggs, bacon, sausages, french toast, waffles, fried potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, beans, melon, apples, granola, 8 different cereals, muffins, banana bread, croissants, toast, yoghurt, you get the drift..

Walking 6 miles on a bloated belly is not a wise idea, believe me. I was burping on every 5th step and had stitch after 100m's but it was a nice sunny day and after yesterday a slightly slower paced stroll was a welcomed option.

Today I wandered down to the Lincoln Memorial, walking alongside the reflection pool looking up to the steps where people had watched Martin Luther King Jr make his famous "I have a dream speech" back in the 60s. 

The size of the Lincoln memorial is jaw dropping, the building is massive and the statue of Lincoln is so big I'm probably as tall as his big toe. After getting a neck strain trying to look at it all I headed back down the steps to the Vietnam Memorial, this one is a little eery. The bronze statues are so life like you almost think they will start moving towards you if you stare at them too long. 

As you have probably gathered there's memorials and monuments everywhere in this city and they are all presented in a very respectful way. I can imagine some of these being a great place for relatives to go and remember. One in particular was unveiled while I was there. 

The new memorial was opened for the 9/11 victims at the Pentagon. Although the area was only open to invited guests the feeling in the city that day was reflective. A lot of military men and woman were walking the streets, some roads where closed off and all flags were flying at half mast. I couldn't see the memorial up close but every local news channel had footage of it so if you're going anytime soon to Washington make sure you make the trip out of town to see it. 

I had to be up early to catch my flight to Florida so I headed back to the hotel to prop up the bar.

Final tips

1. Take comfy shoes with you.
2. Obey all the walk signs, cars do not stop for you.
3. They don't do 1/2 pint beers.
4. The scallops are the size of a small child's head.
5. The steaks are to die for.
6. Don't walk after an American style breakfast.
7. Be aware some Americans have difficulty understanding the British accent.
8. Always have you camera handy.