On way to Boston

We were pleased to get back into the USA although there was a bit of grilling over the passport ! My one trip to Egypt and one trip to Jordan became'You like travelling in the Middle East'. Then a visa in an unrecognised script was analysed, this being from Laos. There was a certain sense of relief to get our passports back and be allowed in. We are now awaiting a delayed flight and likely to arrive late in Boston. We were told there was some weather coming in from the east, sounds like a line from a film.

We have had to be resourceful in doing online checkin as we go and discovered we have to pay extra for our hold luggage. Something went adrift this morning as I paid 20$ only to find it wasn't luggage but priority boarding when we arrived at the airport. All systems vary and it's generally good to have two sets of eyes and a bigger screen!

We finally took off at 8.30, so a rather late arrival in Boston.

Holiday fashions

We have developed a good taste in plastic ponchoes...

And my walking shoes are now an interesting shade of violet at the toes decorated with a certain amount of greenery.

Since it is pouring with rain today in Boston, Saturday, I expect we shall wear our elegant attire again!

Niagara exceeded expectations !

The Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, over which our hotel rooms looked, with views of part of the American falls too. Everything was so well organised; we were handed a pas with entrance to four key attractions and two days of travel in the Wego bus. We got rather used to putting on plastic ponchoes and were very glad we had taken waterproof jackets and trousers, as walking along the road was like being in a rainstorm! We went on the Maid of the mist in the photo above which was so exciting but very, very wet!!

After going behind the falls we came out of a tunnel beside the falls. It was amazing to hear and see the force of the water and how far back up it comes spraying mist and spray over a huge area.

We have had plenty  of exercise and here walked north  of the falls where we he Horseshoe shape was so much more obvious. They are really quite circular .

The Whitewater Rapids are category 6 and very fierce , quite mesmerising to watch.

The Falls at night.

Today, Thursday, we caught a bus to the Whirlpool, then onto the Floral clock, from where we walked for quite a long way to Queenstown on the way to Niagara on the Lake. Here we saw two historic properties, the Mackenzie Printery and the Laura Secord Homestead. Only the latter was open as it is now winter, but we had insuffient time to visit. However it was great to get away from the central tourist area.

We were reassured that if we got lost, we could find our way to the USA!

Washington

The FL Washington is a city full of memorials and we managed to visit many of them. Our hotel was well located and on the yellow bus route which we used on the first day to do a complete loop. In fact when we got footsore and weary, we got on the bus for a bit more sightseeing and a rest! We did have to get off and change buses on the first day, when one went out of service and finally got off and walked after a collision with a car! We explored Georgetown which was an attractive district by the river and on Sunday was full of rowers with lots of activity on the river. From here we visited the Kennedy building, the cultural centre, full of works of art, with theatre, opera house and concert halls where we had a guided tour of all the spaces including the presidential boxes.

Ceiling of the theatre.

We also visited Grand Union Station and the Jefferson building, which is the Library of Congress.

Grand Union Station main hall.

The library of congress had amazing interiors and was next to the Supreme Court in an interesting neighbourhood. There seems to be some dissonance between the expressed principles and messages and some current statements by aspiring presidents! We watched some of the Trump/Clinton debate on TV.

Arlington cemetry was particularly moving as we were there at the changing of the guard. We also visited the Kennedy memorial.

Memorial to the Unknown soldiers which looked stunning in the sunlight.

We also saw the Capitol, the White House, did a quick look through the botanical gardens. We observed some of the celebrations for the opening of the museum of African American History, as a result of which Sunday was extremely busy in part of the city, and our Big Bus was rerouted causing some confusion. 

At the Space museum we saw the lunar capsule, docking station, as well as the Wright brothers' aeroplane. Nearby there was an interesting sculpture garden with many modern works of art. This one being a Henry Moore.

As we had Tuesday morning before flying to Buffalo, we revisited the Lincoln memorial and went inside to see the statue of Abraham Lincoln and the exhibition, and were able to see the spot where Martin Luther King gave his famous speech.

We were quite surprised at how close you could get to the White House, a bit like Buckingham palace really. 

Not only did we use the Big Bus but we got the measure of the metro too using a variety of forms of transport to get around and back to the airport!

And Apples latest update is causing considerable frustration as now my blog is shutting down when I press certain keys, so keep saving and restyling. Oh joy!!

So if my blog is spasmodic, that is why!

Welcome to USA!!!

Well that's what the messages at the airport said but words and actions don't always match. We had a good flight and were welcomed into premium economy with a glass of fizz. The service was impeccable and I caught up with some films.

However arrival at Dulles airport was a different experience. All those who were first time visitors, post ESTA were funnelled into a different area. Here we queued for about an hour and a half with very slow progress and the monitor churning out the welcome message in multiple languages. There were very few booths open and each person was taking a very long time. Finally we got to the front of the queue where you were ushered into another smaller queue to a desk. No one was looking that friendly and the received message was not to make a fuss. We saw one man blow a gasket and his wife apologise profusely. I think she knew we were all skating on thin ice until we got the other side of that barrier!

Hilary and I hedged our bets and sneaked from one queue to another as it was apparent that people behind us had got to the desk first if in a faster moving queue.

Finally I passed muster. The US immigration department now has a photo and all my finger and thumb prints on record, as well as the ESTA information on my family history and career and personal details. They asked why I was here, where I was going ,where I was staying, what I had in my luggage.......   

So by now our cases had been taken off the carousel and left in a collection on the floor, but we grabbed them quickly to head off for the bus only to find another queue where we had to hand in our customs form.

Finally we made it and got to the hotel by bus $3.50 and then a taxi. After settling in we had a refreshing walk around the neighbourhood, where there are lots of cafes, including a rather healthy looking salad cafe. We are just north of DuPont Circle and just off Pennsylvania Avenue. Today we start exploring with our Bug Bus ticket. I can see already that this will only be a taster!

USA here we come.! September 2016

Hilary and I are all prepared to embark on our adventure to USA, starting in Washington, where we have booked a two day bus ticket to aid our exploration. We then fly to Buffalo to visit Niagara, staying just two nights. It should have been one but the flights were changed. Then we fly back to Boston and after a few days exploring we pick up a car and head down to Cape Cod. Our next stop will be Meredith, and our final stop is in the Magic Mountains in Vermont.