Washington, D.C. (I)

Finally, after two weeks I found time to work on the pictures taken in Washington, D.C. on the Thanksgiving weekend. Not only have there been more important things to do, but also did I lack a certain motivation to go through all the 800+ pictures and distill the ones to publish...

I took the overnight bus to D.C., a quite pleasant 10h journey. We arrived at Union Station at 9am and I was eager to have my first coffee in front of the Capitol, something I repeated on all mornings (not only because you get good and cheap breakfast at Union Station, which is only a stone's throw away from the Capitol).

The Capitol itself is quite an impressive building and is home to the Congress of the United States, which is made up of the House and the Senate. I must admit that the moment I stood in front of this building was the first moment I really felt like being in the US.

The Capitol seen from the Library of Congress across the street.

The Capitol seen from the below Capitol Hill.

Turning around on the spot gives you this impressive view down National Mall up to the Washington Monument. Most of the Smithsonian Museums are to the left and to the right of this mall, quite comfortable for tourists...

One of these museums is the National Gallery of Art, greeting its visitors with this beautiful fountain. I might write about the art museum in another post, so no more details here...

After my first visit to the museum I went to look for my hostel and finally found it right next to Chinatown. The outside look gives a pretty good impression on how it was inside: clean but not too comfortable, still enough for backpackers.

After a short rest I went on to get to what people might call the world's most famous residence: the White House. It is located in a beautiful and huge garden, fenced to keep away the tourists.

The second picture was taken two days later and shows the other side of the house (seen from H Street).

Washington, D.C. is packed with monuments: there are monuments for wars (here the WWI)...

... and monuments for famous historical persons such as the Lincoln memorial...

(This is the place where Martin Luther King gave his famous speech)

... the Washington Monument (in line with the Capitol in the background down National Mall).

The first night brought me to Georgetown and I was surprised to hear that these inconspicuous stairs were a setting in the 1973 movie The Exorcist.

That's it for the first day. I spent the second day in the Library of Congress and two of the Smithsonians. More on that later...

Atlanta (III)

The the last part of the Atlanta triptych, this time with pictures from the Georgia Aquarium, which is said to be the biggest in the world.

We started with the part dedicated to the oceans, which basically was a tunnel through a huge basin containing sharks...

.. and whales. This tunnel was quite impressive, as can be seen in the faces on the first picture.

Still the huge basin with the big fishes.

Moving on, we also saw small fishes and fish-like beings...

.. and of course penguins...

... and different whales...

... and frogs in different bright colors...

... and this nice fellow...

... and otter, here while being fed with oysters.

There were also some tropical fish (for most of which I don't remember the names ^^)...

... and this small guy, who seems to be eager to see new terrain.

There was also a dolphin show, at which we were not allowed to take pictures. The story was crappy (a sailor who lost his ship to a sea monster is now singing to make the dolphins help him get his ship back), but the dolphins and their stunts were very impressive.

Antlanta (II)

Here are some pictures from the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, taken on our trip there last weekend.

The museum itself is of course operated by Coca Cola. The entrance fee is $15, so you expect really interesting things in there. Well, let's see... It started with a guide giving some facts about how old Coca Cola is and how much you had to pay for a glass in the beginning (5 cent). After she was finished you are shown a movie, telling you what you need to be happy. I have forgotten what it was, they didn't explicitly mention soda but you could guess it...

After this first part you could go and explore the museum yourself. One part was dedicated to pop culture, like the Santa Clause which probably many people relate to this brand.

Another part of the museum dealt with the secret formula and how other companies tried to copy it.

According to the guide, the secret formula is currently hidden in this safe...

.. but this was probably the key message.

Another part was dedicated to historical artifacts like commercials and this bar, including an old serving bowl to mix the water and the cola concentrate (as it used to be in the beginning).

Also nice to see, an old van...

... and old vending machines.

And of course the wall showing the engagement of Coca Cola in the Olympics (although I really doubt that athletes are trinking this).

One of the hightlights was this room: over 60 different sodas for tasting, sorted by continents. I must admit that I didn't make it through all of them, neither did I like all of those I tested...

.. but the kids (and we) had fun.

Now you might think Atlanta is entirely occupied by Coca Cola. Well, not entirely... One small bar still holds out against the supremacy ^^

Next to come: pictures from the aquarium (after I am back from Washington D.C.)

Atlanta (I)

Yesterday it was time to leave Knoxville and go to Atlanta. It is the capital of Georgia and home to Coca Cola, CNN and with the Georgia Aquarium the worlds largest aquarium.

After a 3h drive, we arrived at around 10 am and were greeted by the towers in Downtown Atlanta, certainly different than Knoxville.

Again Downtown, as seen from the Coca Cola museum...

... and Peach Street, the heart of Downtown.

I guess I just liked the inner peace he seems to have.

In the lobby of the CNN building...

.. there is not only plenty of (fast) food...

... but also one of two Humves used by CNN for covering the Iraq war in 2003.

Still to come: pictures of the Coca Cola museum and the aquarium.

Hiking the Norris Dam State Park

This day again offered beautiful fall weather, so we decided to go out for a (short) hike in Norris Dam State Park, around 30 minutes north-east of Knoxville. The warm sun and the left-over leaves gave a pleasant atmosphere.

We started at an old grist mill, which was in construction since 1798. Originally built in a different county, it was moved to this place to prevent it from being flooded during the creation of the nearby Norris Lake.

A threshing barn, probably related to the mill.

The ground covered with leaves gave this typical fall sound while walking the sun-flooded trail.

The first view from the observation point. As you can see, it was a bit misty so the view distance was not very long. This somehow improves the focus on the tree-covered hill in front.

Taking a rest to enjoy the view. You can see the Norris dam in the background...

It is quite an impressive structure in the middle of the park.

I was quite surprised to see a flower still blossoming in mid November after several freezing nights...

Unfortunately, the sun was already gone when we went to the dam, but it's still an impressive structure.

Just one of so many gas stations around here. However, I couldn't pass by without trying to catch the combination of the well lit station in front of the red sky.