And here we are, the big trip has started – first stop: Washington, DC.

A quick and  fairly comfy flight got me across the pond from Frankfurt to Washington Dulles International Airport; a less comfy metro ride got me into town and my centrally-located hotel. After check-in and a bit of freshing up I made it over to the mall for some first exploration of town.

While walking towards the Washington Monument,  I realized quite a bit of helicopter traffic and also that streets were closed for car traffic – well, getting closer to the White House,  I saw why, as a helicopter was leaving there … who might be leaving here on late Friday afternoon possibly for a trip down to Florida?

I made my way to the North side of the White House and then on into town for dinner (pseudo-Korean … tasty, but certainly not Korean – except for the kimchi) and then a walk by the US Capitol – before heading back to the hotel for an early night.