On The Train at Last – 11th October

On The Train at Last – 11th October

This morning we transferred to Penn Station to join the train for Washington after being told that we must all be ready to leave promptly by 7.30.  We duly did as we were told and a head count made, two missing!  So Doug, our tour manager went to find see if he could see anyone left behind, no luck and so 15 minutes later a role call had to be taken.  There is always some dick on every trip!  In this case almost literally no sooner had Doug confirmed the Eves, and asked Dix?, then an elderly couple climbed aboard, “are we late?” 

The train journey was uneventful passing through Philadelphia, Charlestown and Baltimore with the train travelling much faster than we had been led to believe.  John fell amongst thieves and vagabonds and was forced to drink beer most of the journey!  At Washington Union station it was utter chaos, no porters, building works and no bus!  It did eventually turn up and then all aboard, Mr Dix left his bag on the sidewalk and had to go back for it!!

The tour of Washington was however really good, The Whitehouse, Capital Building, Lincoln Memorial and the Korean and Vietnam war memorials.  Finally a stop to walk through the Roosevelt Memorial, his quotes must seem outrageously left wing to the current generation of U.S. politicians, and then a walkthrough the trees alongside the Martin Luther King Memorial.  All along the path were signs warning of low branches, when we got on the bus, who had gashed his head?  Yes you guessed it Mr Dix!!!

Any away the hotel is grand except for the eejit  playing a tuneless trumpet outside the window, it has an Irish pub attached, we had fish and chips for us tea and went to bed tired but happy. 

Ghosts of Korea