Tuesday June 7th

Up early, I was glad to leave the hostel, if not Boston – there was just a bad vibe about my dorm room and dorm mates. After dressing and checking out, I walked across to the metro station and made my way to the airport. Although the trip sounds difficult (walk to the metro; catch red line 4 stops; transfer to blue line and go 4 stops; catch shuttle bus from metro station to airport), in reality the trip was very simple, quick, and cheap.

As I checked into the flight, I noticed a large group of American soldiers farewelling their loved ones – off to Afghanistan I assume? With another Australian death in Afghanistan – this time, a 23 year old on his second day of deployment – my thoughts are with Mark quite often, and seeing the soldiers make me a little teary. He will be fine though!!

The flight to Washington DC was on a mini plane (like the Dash 8 that fly between Canberra and Sydney) and took just over an hour. Again, I took public transport into Washington DC – for only $1.85, it took me almost directly to the hostel, and was probably speedier than catching a shuttle bus or taxi (and obviously a lot cheaper!)

I was able to check into my room slightly before check-in time. I’d booked a premium dorm which meant only 4 beds, and I was the first one in – only joined by one other person that night. After sharing with 3, 5, 7 and even 23 (yep, in Bangkok) people, having one person is a luxury! The room was also spacious and clean, and the hostel had plenty of lounging areas with an excellent wi-fi connection, so I was stoked.

Although the hostel was located only blocks from the National Mall, I wanted to keep the surprise until tomorrow, so I headed the opposite direction to explore the rest of the city. I was instantly in love with Washington D.C. – just when Boston had laid a hand on the title of best city in the world, Washington D.C. makes a late play for the title! Everywhere you looked there were historic buildings of national significance – the Treasury Building; the building where Abraham Lincoln was shot; Smithsonian Museums – and one of the great things about D.C. is that almost everything is free!


The one thing that isn’t free is the International Spy Museum, which the guidebook gave raving reviews about, but when I stumbled upon it I decided to pay the admission fee of $18 and visit. It was a look at spies over the centuries – their tools (i.e. rectal kits, shoe phones); techniques (i.e. disguises); and famous spies over history. It was very interactive as well – we even had to memorise a new identity at the start and had to answer questions about our new identity throughout the visit. I was quite fascinated by the historic look of spies – for example, many people believe that William Shakespeare’s books were works of codes and Machiavelli was a famous code maker; and there were large sections devoted to the codes used in the World Wars. I left the museum thinking about applying to ASIO – wouldn’t travelling the world as a blonde backpacker be a great disguise? I could make my secret drops at pop concerts around the world!


From the Spy Museum, I headed south (I think?) and found the National Archives, which holds the original Declaration of Independence, and added that to my list of things to see tomorrow. It is directly opposite the FBI Headquarters, which unfortunately had stopped running their tours whilst re-development occurs – I would love to have seen Booth (from Bones) or the Criminal Minds gang! (Yes, I do realise these are fictional characters on TV shows ….)


Back at the hostel, I spent a few hours on the internet uploading photos; making arrangements to get to New York on Friday; buying a new Glee ticket; and making my plans for tomorrow. It was 11pm by the time I fell asleep, and I needed my beauty sleep – it was to be a long day tomorrow!