This morning we have got a flight from Dallas Fort Worth to Washington Ronald Reagon Airport. Firstly, we have to try to get this car back to Hertz in the same condition that we got it in! The bags went in the boot of this one – as Paul said, it didn’t have a roof in it as well. All checked out, and a smooth journey to the airport, and made it without any mishaps. Hurrah!
A quick bus trip to the terminal, and then checked in for our American Airlines first class flight. More points – thank you American Express card! Thought we were going to get breakfast in the first class lounge – but no! A first class ticket doesn’t get you in the lounge here. On an internal flight, you have to have a membership card to the AA Admirals Club, or equivalent gold BA club membership. I am only blue – all these free flights don’t count, and I hardly ever pay for one! Oh dear – back to Starbucks and try to find a seat at the gate. It wasn’t too bad, the coffee was good, and we only had to wait a little over an hour.
The flight was just over two and a half hours long, with watches going forward one hour. We were fed a fairly decent lunch, so at least the hunger has been kept at bay. The seats were very comfortable, but no inflight entertainment on this short flight. Good job I had my Washington Guide book to read!
We landed and because it was into the domestic airport it was nowhere near as busy as an international airport. Someone even got our bags for us – first class passengers have orange tags on their luggage, and there were a couple of chaps pulling all the orange tagged bags off. I suppose they have to do something to justify the extra cost if they don’t let you in the lounge. There were plentiful taxis waiting, and it took twenty or so minutes to get to the Fairmont Hotel. This airport is also a lot nearer the centre than the international airport. The taxi was just under $20.
Very nice hotel in the Georgetown district of Washington, which is where the university is. A quick change, and we headed out for a walk we knew not where. We headed for the Potomac River, which was about half an hour away. The streets here are very different to Dallas, and many other American Cities. It looks a little like a leafy lined England in many places. So many trees and green spaces, and very few high rise buildings. The leaves are turning a beautiful red colour – it is said that the fall colours are just as nice in these parts as they are further north in New England.
We came to the river at just before sunset, and there was a lovely seafood restaurant with tables outside overlooking the river. An excellent place to stop and people watch. The weather is still very warm here, even at this time of night. There were several crews of rowers on the river racing, with a man who looked to be the referee shouting through a cone. Could have been from the university I suppose – wonder if they have a race here with another university like the Cambridge and Oxford boat race?
We had a lovely dinner, and the sun was spectacular going down. The planes seem to use the lie of the river to land, so several were coming in over our heads all evening. Some old time music started playing a bit further up the promenade, and several very old cars pulled up – I think there was some sort of private event going on. They were waved up the promenade – then a policeman on a huge motorbike came along and pulled them over and looked as if he was giving them a ticket. Obviously didn’t get the correct authorisation!
We walked a bit further up the promenade to a lovely fountain display, then turned and followed the road grid system back to the hotel. It is so easy to find your way when one direction of roads are numbered and the other direction has letters – you always know exactly where you are. Wonder if I will eat those words at some point?
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