The first few days of our big trip

So far our big trip has gone well: the trip out via the UK went smoothly – we had a 5-hour layover at Heathrow Terminal 5, as we had to collect and re-check our bags (our ticket from Geneva was separate from the main round-the-world itinerary, it seems) – but time passes quickly in a pub when you’re eating fish and chips and sipping Guinness. Arrivals in DC were also a breeze: I’d forgotten about having to take mobile lounges at Dulles, but immigration was quick and easy. We booked an UberXL (we’re 5 people with lots of bags) which on a Sunday evening was able to get us to Foggy Bottom in a mere 30 minutes.

All in all we were very happy with the hotel – the University Inn – and its location (right next to the historic Watergate Hotel): it was a good base from which to visit the city. On our main day visiting DC we walked down to the Lincoln Memorial, walked through the National Mall to the Washington Monument, and were among the first to enter the Smithonsian…

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