Habana, Cuba

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Teresa

Our 4 hour road trip to Habana from Trinidad did not disappoint. The drive was interesting through large agricultural areas of fruit, cane and cattle. Habana is quite a cultural change from the smaller communities of Cuba that we have been to. Busy streets full of people, construction/restoration everywhere but unfortunately rubbish all about. The rest of Cuba has been amazingly clean compared to other islands in the Caribbean, with the exception of Habana. They are trying to change the appearance but it’s going to take some time. It took us a good day to relax into the cultural change and hustle of city life here. Like any big city you need to keep your eyes open and be aware of what’s happening around you or you could run into problems, especially at night.

One of the many busy streets in Vieja – Calle Obispo

The Casa Particular (private home) in Habana where we stayed was reasonably priced at approx US$30/ night and included our own bathroom. It was close to Habana Vieja, with a lot more character inside than a tourist hotel. Nice to support the people of Cuba. David & Lidia have 3 bldgs so lots of rooms for rent contact: diazdavidlidia@yahoo.es or 537-07-879-7934.

The pet crocodiles in the entry at the main Casa were interesting and yes we were told they bite

Coming in off the busy street to a quiet courtyard was so relaxing as the sounds of the city just disappeared

The red double decker hop on hop off buses seem to be in every city and were great here to get a lay of the land and see some of the top spots. At approx US$5 each, a bargain, compared to other city tours we have been on. Around Vieja and Centro Habana it was easy wandering the streets aimlessly during the day or sitting and just people watching. We hit most of the main tourist spots.

one of the many Plazas with vendors selling books on the heros of the revolution

Plaza de la Revolución is the base of the Cuban govt where many political rallies have been held

Murals on buildings around Plaza de la Revolución:

View to Castillo del Morro from Malecón

The view to Habana from the Christ statue near Fort de San Carlos.

Fort de San Carlos would be great as a hotel but was overpriced to enter at approx US$6 each.

A pharmacy on Calle Obispo. The pharmacy was mostly a display as they had very few items to actually sell – like many of the government run shops

We found lots of great places to eat and drink. Los Nardos restaurant opposite Capitolio Nacional ( well worth standing in the line up), Sloppy Joes, the rooftop at Hotel Ingleterra and restaurants along Calle Obispo are some places we found good. The Taberna microbrew down near the piers on San Pedro had a great system for delivering beer.

Sloppy Joes on Right

At the Taberna microbrew

The people are so friendly but you can see that life is tough for them here. It is nothing to hear that they work a number of jobs for very little money. In the parks around town you see the social scene happening including different events to entertain and educate the children. No sitting around watching TV here for them.

Transportation in Habana city did not disappoint; they are everywhere and come in lots of different types:

Bikes are used to transport all sorts of things; yes even wedding cakes

Trolleys move a lot of things, this looked like hard work!

The very old worn buildings even fit with this car

Old cars lined up in Centro Park

Of course we had to get a tour in one of the many old convertible cars sitting in Parque Central, which was a real treat. Approx US$35/hr.

The 1953 Buick we hired for an evening tour

There’s lots of restoration going on all around Habana, which is going to take many many years to complete. The buildings look worn out and in some cases are very broken. Those that have been restored are impressive but there’s ALOT to fix. Looks like everything’s done by hand too so who knows how long it will take. Vadado district is a more residential area with some very big homes that have been restored and look amazing, you can see the potential.

Centro Habana – a little paint would help as the architecture is amazing

Vedado had some great homes, more of a residential area

While in Habana we could not miss going to the Tropicana, a show. Wow! So many flashy outfits. Not quite Las Vegas, especially the food, but a good night out.

Brett’s birthday was spent in Habana where we wandered the streets of Centro Habana firstly to Callejón de Hamel, where an artist Salvador has created weird pieces of art on buildings and in yards on this street. Hotel Nacional, which overlooks the Malacón and is considered to be Habana’s finest hotel (expropriated from Hilton) with some amazing views, comfy chairs and well deserved cold beers after walking in the heat.

Entrance to Callejón de Hamel

Artwork inside

Hotel Nacional, there are bunkers from the late 1800s underground along the front of the hotel

Relaxing in the comfy chairs at the hotel

The highlight of Bretts birthday was going to a baseball game, which had an amazing atmosphere with the crowds really supporting and cheering for their teams. Its loud as they all blow horns and when there was a grand slam they all went crazy. As tourists you sit in a separate section right behind home base for approx US$3 each. Bargain. For a Cuban it would be less than US$0.25. We finished up out for dinner in El Barrio Chino; China town where there are no Chinese people but Cuba felt they needed one like any other big city. Good meal out.

4 days was plenty of time in the big city, we were ready to get back to some fresh air on the sea.

Old world Cuba; Santiago de Cuba

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Teresa

Brett & I were excited about returning to Cuba to see if it had changed in the 15 years since we were last here. Will be interesting seeing it from the sea side and taking inland trips by car to small towns in Cuba, something we couldn’t do then. With America starting to open the doors to Cuba we wondered how different it would be even in another 15 years.

The passage from the Bahamas took us south thru the Windward passage between Cuba and Haiti to Cuba’s southern coast and clearing Customs and Immigration at Santiago de Cuba; past the restricted Guantanamo Bay. The coastline all the way to Santiago de Cuba was very rocky and mountainous with a few small towns. There were fishermen all along the coast who row out to their fishing areas sometimes many miles away. The only light they have at night turns on when they see our boats navigation lights.

Our first glimpse of Puerto Santiago de Cuba is a small tourist town, Ciudad del Mar, high on the hilltop and the impressive Castillo Del Morro, guarding the entranceway to the port. Approx 1 mile up the river was the marina and another 3-4 miles up was the port and city of Santiago, the second largest city in Cuba with a population close to 1 million.

Entrance to Santiago

Castillo del Morro

huge freighters, cruise ships make their way up to the port past the marina

The marina was definitely a lot busier than we thought it would be with 16 boats either docked or anchored close to the marina. Our Rose had to raft up to us at the marina to clear in as there was no room at the pier for them. At $18US a night each we stayed rafted up so it was easy to go and do things on land.

Rafted up.

The whole clearing in process with Customs and Immigration in Santiago de Cuba was very confusing and took many hours to complete. On entry we were put in quarantine, not that we knew that at the time, anchored on the other side of the bay till the medical doctor came by the boat to question us on our state of health. The fire drill then began with instructions to move over to the marina where more officials would board the boat or just never turn up. The best was the Sanitation and fumigation officers who walked around with a spray can but decided the boat was very clean so sat and had colas and muffins with us. Customs and the drug sniffing Labrador, King, did not end up coming to our boat, there were other boats that needed their attention. We were presented with 30 day tourist visas and told we could now go on land.

King and the customs officer

The marina staff were all friendly and liked to sit and talk; us learning Spanish and them English. We had some big action one day when 2 boats dragged in the anchorage off the marina, with some strong winds. The marina staff asked Brett & Richard to help with the rescue of one of the boats as there was some difficulty getting it to re-anchor. This definitely helped us build a close relationship with the staff.

There are many local people standing around near the marina gates. Why? I guess when the new gringos arrive in town they hope to get some of their business. Cubans have become very entrepreneurial in setting up businesses and getting work from tourists and other Cubans, something that has only been allowed openly in the last 5 years or so. Yes the doors are opening for these people and they say life is improving, but slowly. People are paid monthly and very little; between $10US & $50US and depending on their jobs receive rations for main staples like rice, flour etc; according to the people we met.

Pedro who lives opposite the marina organized a day trip to the city to exchange money, visit the international hospital for a chiropractor visit, wander the streets of the city and then back to his house for dinner with his family. Pedro and Rosa put on an incredible meal and were very generous people. A night of good food & dancing.

Russian cars are very common. 4 of us crammed into this 25 year old marvel of engineering

The streets of Santiago are so clean and yes busy

stalls set up to sell all sorts of trinkets

performer in one of the many squares

While Cuba’s medical system is advanced they do not have chiropractors. The whole process we went thru to learn this was very interesting but ended up being a complete waste of time on getting Brett’s back sorted.
Here’s Brett going to the public hospital by ambulance with his own nurse after his first consultation of many to come. Why by ambulance because that’s just the process. We followed in the Muskovich.

Michael Angelo, a soft spoken Cuban took us on a tour of the city of Santiago de Cuba, which is busy with a great vibe and a lot of history in the many plazas and parks around. Lots of Cubans about working and limin’.

A view of Santiago from a roof top. Didn’t feel this crowded when you were in the streets.

Casa de la Música had a great atmosphere

Plaza de la revolution Antonio Maceo – Josie Marti on his horse asking Cubans to join him in the fight against the Spanish. Like their Russian amigos the Cuban’s like big public statues.

Moncada Barracks was a military barracks and in 1953 Fidel Castro attacked the barracks, proof being the bullet holes near the front doors. This was the start of Castro’s Revolution. The building now has become a boarding school for young children and has an area set aside as a museum to learn about the start of the revolution.

There are many stalls selling food on the side of the road in Santiago. I’m glad we don’t need any meat.

Meat, ham, onions and peppers for sale

The butcher perhaps

We saw so many different ways of getting around Santiago and surrounding areas. So awesome.

this old American car looked more comfy than our small Muskovich

horse & cart, yes even in town

motorcycle and side car. I would have loved to be in the side car.

Motor-taxi with customer who had live chickens as passengers too

The Auto-bus/trucks for locals; squished in like Cuban sardines.

In Cuba most of the restaurants are govt. owned and typically more expensive. After our city tour Michael Angelo and his wife who have a private restaurant above their home invited us to the restaurant for a seafood dinner. He ended up setting up a table in his living room as a storm came through and it was too windy up in the roof top restaurant. We had fish, lobster, shrimp and octopus with salad and rice, dessert and of course rum & wine and it was $70US for 4 people.

Castillo del Morro, at the entrance to the port had been built in the late 1500’s as a defense against pirates. You could see why when you stood high on the hillside. By 1775 the fear of attack had diminished and a part of the fort was converted into a prison for political prisoners, including a torture chamber. It was used again in 1898 as a fortress during the Spanish-American war. It is in remarkable condition with many different levels each with amazing views out to the coast and up towards the city.

We made a trip to El Cobre, 18 kilometers away to see their Basilica; Patron Saint of Cuba where people from all over the world bring offerings to ask or thank her for protection. The drive to El Cobre was like we had moved back in time with a lot of horse and carts, people working the land on the side of the road by hand and the old American cars driving by.

offerings and letters are written by people to thank for healing the body

Cayo Granma is a Cay opposite the marina where we wandered the narrow cobblestone streets lined with houses and had lunch at a govt run restaurant. Hurricane Sandy had caused a lot of damage on this small island with ruins sitting where homes used to be. This small Cay actually has a population of 1000, no cars, a school for small children, church, dentist and doctor and a few private owned restaurants. Entry onto the island is by boat only.

The blue & white bldg is the govt. restaurant

Cobblestone streets

Time to move on. To move from one Cuban port to another, on departure you are presented with a despacho for presentation to The Guarda Frontera or coast guard office of future anchorages and marinas in Cuba. The Guarda Frontera will find a local boat to row out to sailboats to check and document your information and then clear you in and out of that anchorage. The despacho is obviously the way the government tries to know where we are in their country. But who knows where the information goes and how long it takes to get anything done with it. There is no charge for this “service”.

Guarda Frontera in Marea Del Portillo on his way to see us

All good!

More soon..

Ragged Island Chain and leaving the Bahamas

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Teresa

After returning from our run to Staniel Cay to pick up a new watermaker membrane and a few odd parts we had flown in, we returned to Georgetown. It’s amazing how busy this place is. We hired a scooter for a dentist visit and change of scene, a great way to see Great Exuma Island for a day. Some nice views from the land side.

On the social scene, this time in Georgetown, we caught up with Our Rose (Richard, guest Michael & Jen), Kairos (Fiona & Graham), No Rehearsal (Annie & Daryl) and many others we have met along the Exumas BUT It was time to head south and away from the 290 odd boats in the harbor.

Celebrating Annie’s birthday

We headed out of Georgetown with Our Rose to the Jumentos Cays and Ragged Islands in the south eastern chain of the Bahamas. This chain of islands and cays is largely uninhabited, a place to get away from it all. There are no marinas, no place to provision and few boats, just natural beauty so you must be self reliant when coming here. We had a great down wind sail and even got our screechers out. Nice!

Our new screecher

Our first stop was at Water Cay where we walked the beaches, enjoyed the peace & calm of empty bays and our own anchorage. We went out to see the blue holes, even managing to hunt out lots of lobster for dinner. At last, Yum!

At Flamingo Cay we got the kayaks down and visited some caves, walked across the island to a beautiful u-shaped beach where we found the wreckage of a plane on the shore. Lots of pretty beaches for a beach BBQ so of course, why not!

Sausages on the barbie

Man of War Cay was a good stop for a little snorkeling but as the wind was changing we decided to move on to Jamaica Cay where we would get better
protection. It proved to be a beautiful spot with rocks and small cays all around it. Some local fishermen gave Jen & Richard some fish so that was a bonus as we were invited for fresh fish dinner.

On our way down to Buena Vista Cay we tried our luck at fishing but all we caught were the big teethed barracuda. A front was coming through so we tucked ourselves into a couple of different bays on this Cay. On our walk along the western beach we met Edward a local Bahamian who is in the process of building a new home on the beach. Brett helped him fix his generator and he showed us around his small farmstead. Looks like a tough way of life here. I think he gets a lot of visits from cruisers.

Raccoon Cay had some beautiful beaches along its western shore. Snorkeling nearby we caught a couple more lobster for dinner and then enjoyed the beaches.
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At Johnson Cay we found a beautiful horseshoe bay and walked all over the rocky island. The wind was turning to the SW and so by dusk we had 3 more boats arrive to seek protection here from the apparent strong winds that were going to arrive. There’s not a lot of places in the Raggeds to seek out protection from South or West winds.

Plastic rubbish is something we see on many windward beaches. While the Bahamas has been reasonably clean you do still see a lot of rubbish and the eastern beach here at Johnson had rubbish. Shame! I’m not sure why but there are sooo many shoes found on beaches.

We decided to take advantage of some NW winds and did an overnighter to Hogsty Reef, a large circular reef in the middle of the ocean, on the way to Great Inagua Island. The weather was to be settled so perfect for such a place. There are a number of wrecks sitting on the reefs which you see from a distance. We tried some snorkeling on various bommies but were disappointed with the coral and fish life here. The reef comes up from over 1000 metres to 7-8 metres so there are crashing rollers from the swell hitting the reef and couple of Cays on the reef. Very pretty but a little rolly in the reef even with calm conditions.

Our final stop in the Bahamas was Great Inagua Island at the SE end of the Bahamas. It was a motor day as there was minimal wind. Oh well lots of odd jobs can get done including washing and cleaning the inside of the boat. Yes it’s not all fun!

Our headsets or marriage savers for anchoring needed fixing

Engine oil changes

Great Inagua Island’s claim to fame is the pink flamingos and the Morton Salt Company. The huge salt piles can be seen for miles.

We went ashore for a walk around the streets of Matthew Town area after finally sorting our dingey at the harbor. There is a sunken boat in the harbor entrance, which is a bit frightening to see as its big and as you proceed further in the rocky ledges and other wrecked fishing boats does not make you feel good about docking here. The town itself has approx 1000 people most of which are employed by Morton Salt company. Everyone we met on our walk was so friendly stopping to see if we needed a lift or giving us directions. We stopped at Heathers bar for a few beers, then on to her cousin Idels for lunch and finally to Heathers brothers bakery for fresh bread right out of the oven.

Felt like we were in someone’s back yard under the sun-umbrella

Off to see the old world of Cuba.

Exumas, Bahamas with friend Doug

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Teresa

The Exuma chain of the Bahamas is an area with beautiful white sandy beaches, turquoise shallow waters, lots of cays to stop at & enjoy and beautiful sunsets.

With having Doug aboard we tried to hit all the hot spots down the Exumas chain

Snorkeling for Lobster along the way.

Allen’s Cay to see the prehistoric iguanas.

Snorkeling the plane at Normans Cay where drug lord Carlos Lehder smuggled drugs in the 1980s before being caught and sent to jail.

Kayaking at Shroud Cay up the rivers

Enjoying the beaches at a Shroud Cay

Our piece of driftwood at Boo Boo hill, Warderick Wells Cay

Visiting the Swimming Pigs at Big Majors Spot

Dinner out at Staniel Cay Yacht Club; very tasty

Admiring the view to Williams Bay our anchorage from Perry’s Peak, Rudder Cut Cay

At the Chat & Chill beach on Lee Stocking Island

Volleyball at Lee Stocking Island with friends from Grenada

You see all sorts of wildlife some of which surprise you.

Checking out the Ramorays that came with us from 1 Cay to another

Walking a trail and we came across this snake resting in the tree

Sharks at the dock, but they are also out in the Sound, Eeek!

Christmas for us was spent at Warderick Wells Park at the wardens house enjoying a pot luck Turkey dinner with other cruisers.

For New Years we were at Black Point on Great Guana Cay where the Scorpio Inn put on a great party with food, music and dancing.

But it’s not all play when guests come to visit.

The hull needs to be cleanned

Engines inspected & maintenance made

The heat can make you very sleepy. Looks a little uncomfortable Doug…

That’s better

Enjoying a ride on a Hobbie cat with cruisers in the area. What a cool toy to have on board.

Doug has left and of course we catch 2 Wahoo fish on a trip North to Staniel Cay, once again filling our freezer.

Here’s to a great start to 2015. We are heading to the a Western Caribbean so internet will be intermittent for us. I’ll update when I can.

Bahamas and a friend from Canada

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Teresa

We are back in those glorious crystal clear blue waters and white sandy beaches of the Bahamas. We cleared in at the Berry Islands just off the Grand Bahama Bank and had had a great sail across from Fort Lauderdale.

Upon entering Nassau we saw Atlantis in the distance with all the cruise ship tourists out enjoying the beaches. We came into Nassau to tour the island and pick up Doug a friend from Calgary.
Of course we had to stop at one of the local conch salad bars for a beer and food.

Wow wish this was us taking home our lobster for the night

While in Nassau we went to a few rather busy beaches and the famous Atlantis hotel. Even managed to wander around the aquarium, which was amazing.

A rather crowded Atlantis beach

The marina at Atlantis

The amazing aquarium from above

Looking down on a shark, eek

Eagle Ray up and close

Sting Rays

These guys look very old

Merry Christmas from Brett, Doug and I. Enjoy the festivities. Off to the Exumas.

Hanging out in West Palm Beach

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Teresa

We ended up staying in West Palm for just over 2 weeks waiting for a weather window to the Bahamas. To cross the Gulf Stream you don’t want Northerly winds so we patiently waited. Not to worry, there was plenty to do in the area including lots of great activities put on by the city and bars and restaurants, which kept us entertained.

There was a celebration for the lighting of a 600 tonne sand sculpture in the form of a Christmas tree. Yes can’t believe its that time of the year again. It was amazing watching them create the tree.

Streets were closed down, tents erected selling all sorts and bands playing on a stage erected in the street. Great turnout of people and the tree looked amazing once it was all lit up. The Palm trees were all decorated, so festive.

Free concert with 3 great bands

There were other creative sculptures placed along the waterfront.

Looks like our weather window is here so we are off with all the other boats that have been waiting.

Back in West Palm Beach, Florida

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Teresa

We decided to stay in Isle of Palm, SC for a few weeks relaxing, getting jobs done and meeting some great locals. When you have to buy a heater for the boat to stay warm you know it’s getting cold and we need to head further south. The weather was great for sailing on the outside (Atlantic Ocean) as opposed to sticking to the Inter-coastal waterway (ICW) so we decided to hit the ocean. We got to use our new screecher, which was great.

At Hilton Head we stopped to check out this golfing mecca. On the way into the dock this dolphin met us and escorted us in swimming along beside us; such beautiful peaceful animals. Ended up riding our bikes out and along the beach. Perfect weather for cycling but still we needed jackets.
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We stopped at St Augustine FL and moored just off Castillo de San Marcos. Perfect spot to get ashore and to watch all the tourists out enjoying the boardwalk and riding around in the horse and carts hearing the stories of Old St Augustine. We cycled and walked all about the town area. Got our fill of exercise that’s for sure!
Can you spot us anchored off the fort at the end of the cannon.

In St Augustine we organized a new flag for our boat which won’t fade and shred.

Once we entered Florida the wind seemed to disappear so we decided if we were motoring why not have something to look at, so we re-entered the ICW. Peck Lake just south of Fort Pierce was a very pretty area where you could walk thru the rolling sand dunes to this Sandy beach. Yeah warm at last!

We went through 9 ICW bridges on our last day to reach West Palm where we entered the US nearly 6 months ago. The ICW changed from this natural beauty to being built up with condos and big homes.

Isn’t Florida meant to be warmer?

Our home in West Palm Beach at the waterfront

Our home in West Palm Beach off the waterfront

Time for some big food provisioning and final jobs before heading to the Bahamas and West Carribean/Central America.

Charleston, SC

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Teresa

We have had fun with Audrey & Grant seeing various sights around Charleston and the Isle of Palms where we stayed.

For one we have entered alligator country and yes have spotted these guys in various lakes in the area we are staying. We are not used to seeing alligators and so they definitely intrigued us.

At Fort Moultrie on Sullivan Island we learnt a little about the civil war and toured through the Fort which was built to protect the city of then named Charles Town. It is an impressive structure at the harbor entrance to Charleston.

We visited the Drayton plantation including Drayton Hall. The land was originally purchased in 1738 and the main house built on soon after, staying with the Drayton family for 7 generations until being sold to the National Trust in 1974 for Preservation. The house stands still with no electricity, water etc.

The community we were in had 2 golf Courses so…..why not.

Brett and I caught the water taxi into Charleston one day to wander the town and see the various style of homes in town. Halloween is coming up so some of the homes are decorated ready to scare.

Grant & Audrey went to see the USS Yorkton aircraft carrier built during WWII. It looks amazing from the harbor and had some interesting tales i.e. It served as a recovery ship for Apollo 8 and has a interactive presentation of the Apollo mission to the moon.

Of course a day trip into Charleston Harbor on Seismic Wave ended up being a great day out.

Thanks for all the running about Grant to our favorite and needed stores. It was a great to see you both.

Time to continue heading south.

South to Charleston

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Teresa

We have had a great trip South, even managed to catch up with lots of friends along the way.

Entering Norfolk there are a lot of different Navy ships and you hear them warning you away on the VHF. They are huge! After seeing these huge ships we decided we had to go to the Nauticus Museum and tour the battleship US Wisconsin which has been retired.
While in Norfolk we caught up with David & Sherl, who we originally met at Block Island, CT.

Norfolk was the start of the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) a inland waterway system that is made up of a series of rivers and bays connected by man made canals to form a protected waterway from Norfolk to Miami: 1,089 miles.

There are a lot of different bridges along the way, some of which you have to have opened and there are restrictions on times that they open so you need to watch the clock. A lot of bridges are fixed at 65ft but of course this changes with tide and when you go under them you feel that the mast is going to hit the bottom because of how close it feels.
Some of the many bridges we passed through to get to Charleston.
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Yes the barges and tugs go through the bridges too.

We went through 1 lock where we tied lines to shore cleats with images of Panamas canal. No not quite the same!

The scenery along the waterway constantly changes from raw natural beauty to being built up with golf courses and beautiful homes along the shores.

very barren with dry brush in NC

Alligator River canal, NC

the trees are beautiful, the logs not so much

Homes along the banks in the Neuse River, NC

The Live Fire Range signs at Camp Lejeune, NC

Some of the many wrecks or targets on the shores at Camp Lejeune

More home with docks for small boats start to appear

homes start getting bigger

Wrightsville Beach looked busy and a great stop

Myrtle Beach, SC area

Very large homes in Myrtle Beach

one of the many golf course around Myrtle Beach

Nice! Cable car from the parking lot to the golf course

This golf course looks pretty from the canal

Back to nature on river ways to Charleston

the wildlife are great to watch

2 bald headed eagles perched high in the tree

Catching up with Bob, Judy and Leo from Adastra in Morehead City, NC who we have seen a number of times since leaving Grenada was a surprise. They were in the same anchorage as we had planned to stay.

We made a road trip to see Jen & Richard in Annapolis for the sailing boat show. Wow what an amazing show with lots and lots of boats and yes toys for your boat. Lots of familiar faces in Annapolis.

Town of Annapolis is very cute

Boats crammed in at the sail boat show

In Southport, NC we caught up with Todd and Susan who we met in Pedasi, Panama and had a fun night out.

We have arrived in Charleston where we are catching up with Brett’s Mom & Grant.

The Capital; Washington DC

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Teresa

Wow what a place. So much to see and do.

Our trip to DC started with catching up with friends Andy and Kim, who took us out on the town for dinner and to see the sights of downtown at night. Fun night out.

Culture we came for and culture we got. There are 19 Smithsonian museums in DC all of which are free to enter. Amazing! We only made it to 2 Smithsonian museums which were interesting with lots of information.

Thanks to the Wright brothers aviation has evolved

Orange plane below was the first plane that flew faster than the speed of sound in 1947, White plane won a $10m prize as the first private returning passenger space ship. Space ship 2 will soon be offering planes into space for $250,000. You ready?
Interesting stats in this exhibit…Wonder why wine consumption has increased over the years??

We also went to the Museum of National Geographic which had an exhibition on the Sinosauras, the largest dinosaur to roam the Earth.
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The hop on off trolley was great for getting a feel for things to do later and to see all the main sights in DC.

Arlington Cemetry a peaceful place for those who served in times of war. There are approx 7,000 services a year.

President John F. Kennedy is buried at Arlington

The hill at Arlington overlooks the Washington Monument

There are a huge number of memorials in Washington DC starting with the Lincoln Memorial at one end of a very long park, through the National Mall with lots of Museums on each side, to the US Capitol at the far end.

Looking back at the Lincoln Memorial from the WW11 monument

Abraham Lincoln inside the Memorial

From Lincoln Memorial along Reflecting Pool to Washington Monument

From the Washington Monument along the National Mall to the US Capitol

From the US Capitol through the National Mall to the Washington Monument

U.S Capitol up close

The White House has great views out to the Washington Monument and is a busy area which is well guarded.

White House, see guard on top of roof

Georgetown and DuPont Circle are funky areas to wander around with lots of shopping & restaurants. In Georgetown the buildings in the area have to maintain the look of the area so it has a great feel about it.

Georgetown a desirable and expensive area to live and play

Old warehouses are converted into lofts

Love the Cobblestone streets in Georgetown

Shops in Georgetown; no neon signs

Food truck alley by the look of things…. No not in Georgetown!

We heard there was a hockey game on so went to see the Capitals vs the Boston. Bruins. Long time since we have seen a game.

Our bikes once again came in handy to ride the tidal basin and go back to some places we didn’t have time to go into on the trolley tour and see some of the suburbs.

Thomas Jefferson stands inside overlooking the Tidal Basin also out to the Washington Monument.

The memorial for Franklin Roosevelt was impressive with some of his speeches from his terms as president on the walls in the area

During the depression

During WW11

We tripped on a couple of markets Andy & Kim had told us about which were packed! The veges were great so we had to shop and restock the boat.

If only I could get some of this fish back on my bike….

Brett went thru every row at this mkt and this is only 1 tent by the way! Can you spot him.

Eastern Mkt; great veges

4 days and there was more to see but we are heading South.