Baltimore Unpacked

Today I am home with a bad cold and since my head is so heavy and my brain so slow that I cannot do anything challenging, I have decided to finally unpack the extra bag we had to check in containing all Emilia's gifts and the things I bought while on a shopping spree in Baltimore.

The trip was good on many levels. First of all, Emilia was an absolute angel. Rob and I complain about this poor child too much, I think, but I must admit, she was very very good throughout the trip. The seven hours on the plane went by faster than we anticipated and apart from some grumpiness at take off at Heathrow, she behaved herself. The flight back home was even better as she slept all the way. Too bad mummy and daddy couldn't close their eyes, but that is our problem. Surprisingly, Emilia didn't get jetlagged. I don't know how she does it but both ways she adjusted to the new time zone IMMEDIATELY. One day, she will have to share her secret with me. Also, we subjected her to so many new things, she met loads of new people, went on several car rides and even left her alone for one night (of course with her grandparents though, so she was in good hands!) and she didn't say a thing. No complaints. All in all, she was an absolute delight. 

Ten days went by pretty fast and we had a quite packed schedule. We introduced Emilia to the American side of family and friends, Rob and I spent one day in Washington DC, went out for dinner (compliments of Rob's parents - thank you!), and even attended a wedding. 

 

 

 

The trip to DC was supposed to last two days but we were forced to cut it short due to a snow storm that in the end never arrived. Nonetheless, it was good to be relaxing and wandering around the American capitol. While Rob was in the office, I took the chance to visit a couple of sights I hadn't seen before. First, I made my way to the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress occupies three buildings but I only toured the Thomas Jefferson one. The building is lovely and worth a visit. It is the centerpiece of the library and was opened in 1897. Its artistic decoration, relating to learning, literature, knowledge, creativity, and intellectual achievement, is quite impressive. I really enjoyed walking around the building, I only wished I could spend a couple of ours in the main reading room...next time I'll try to go with a letter from King's and pretend to be doing some research there. 

After visiting the Library of Congress I made my way to the Botanical Gardens. I loved to immerse myself into the diversity of plants and flora from all over the world, from jungle to desert to primeval paradise, the indoor gardens and gallery offered the perfect scenario for an indoor break. And then, I felt so re-energised  that I walked all the way to Georgetown, passing by all the museums forming the Smithsonian, the Monument, and the White House. Once in Georgetown I treated myself to a nice lunch at Dean and De Luca, cupcakes from Sprinkles, and of course some shopping. In fact, the word that summarises this trip the best is shopping. As I said at the beginning of this post we had to check in an extra bag, but it was worth it. Judge it for yourselves...

Emilia's shopping:

Vale's shopping: