Archive for the Category » DC Surroundings «

July 4th at Mount Vernon

28 Jul 2013 By

Washington DC is a spectacular place to celebrate July 4th! The National Mall, with Washington DC’s monuments and the U. S. Capitol in the background, forms a beautiful and patriotic backdrop to America’s Independence Day celebrations.

This is an all-day event begins with a parade along Constitution Avenue and ends with an incredible display of fireworks over the Washington Monument. Almost every year Dave and I enjoy the fireworks in DC. This year, we decided to spend the 4th of July at George Washington’s Mt. Vernon estate.

IMG_4433

Read More

Category: Cultural Events, DC Surroundings  Tags: ,  Comments off

Another Tandem Skydive

04 Jun 2013 By

Last Saturday Dave and I went for another tandem skydive. This time we jumped from DC Skydiving Center in Warrenton, VA. Surprisingly, everything was very organized. After signing all the necessary wavers, weighing in and taking a quick class on the grass near the center with the group, we moved towards the plane. The details of our previous skydiving in Delmarva, DE I described here.

DCIM100GOPRO

More Pictures

Category: Adventure, DC Surroundings  Tags:  Comments off

EU Open House 2013

11 May 2013 By

EU OpenHouseLast Saturday, May 11th, we attended the second signature event of Passport DC – EU Open House 2013. During this day, The Delegation of the European Union to the United States and the Embassies of 27 EU Member States to the United States plus incoming Member State Croatia opened their doors to the Washington public.

This annual event is a highlight of the Washington May calendar and is celebrated during Europe Week. Each embassy offered a rare look inside the buildings and provided a unique opportunity to experience the country’s cultural heritage and national traditions.

We started our day early at 10 a.m., but were able to visit only 5 Embassies due to their dispersed locations: European Union, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of France (France and Germany), Austria and Slovakia. Our first destination was EU House located at K Street, NW near Foggy Bottom metro station.

Category: Cultural Events, DC Surroundings  Tags: ,  Comments off

Around The World Embassy Tour 2013

07 May 2013 By

PassportDCEvery year, Cultural Tourism DC presents Passport DC, a month-long celebration of international culture that lets us explore the world without ever leaving the city. Nearly every day throughout May there are programs: music and dance performances, art exhibits, workshops, embassy events, street festivals, food tastings, and more that bring global adventures to DC.

As our nation’s capitol, DC is home to over 70 foreign diplomats, embassies and consulates. Passport DC offers 3 different signature events each Saturday starting May 4th.

Last weekend Dave and I attended the first signature event – Around the World Embassy Tour showcased 44 embassies from Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and the Americas. We took the metro to Dupont Circle station and started out tour with the Embassy of Indonesia. Altogether, we visited 7 embassies in 4 hours: Indonesia, Haiti, Japan, Cote d’Ivoire, Korea, Australia and Peru.

Read More

Category: Cultural Events, DC Surroundings  Tags: ,  Comments off

DC Cherry Blossoms 2013

13 Apr 2013 By

It’s cherry blossom time again in Washington DC. The cherry blossom trees have now burst into flower and marked the unofficial start of spring. The National Park Service determined that peak bloom was reached on April 9th. One day after peak bloom, on April 10th, Dave and I rushed after work to the Tidal Basin to enjoy the beautiful cherry trees in full blossom.

The average peak bloom date is April 4. This year is a little later than average due to unseasonably cold local weather during March and early April, but last year’s peak bloom date came earlier on March 20, due to the warm weather and the blossoms were blown away by the storm right before the annual cherry blossom parade. We didn’t have a chance to see the spectacular trees in their blossom last year because of that. This year marks the 101st anniversary of the gift of 3,020 cherry blossom trees from Japan in 1912 to celebrate the two nations growing friendship.

IMG_1143

Read More

Category: DC Surroundings  Comments off
Next Entries »