34 hours.
The amount of time we had to spend in DC.
2 hours.
All the time it took for H and I to fall for the charm of the streets lined with adorable row houses and know that DC was going to be a place we had to return to.
Even though the Viking and I had just one short day to spend in DC we made the most of it.
From touring the Capitol to visiting all the monuments at the National Mall, enjoying happy hour in Alexandria and playing in the leaves, it was the best day.
With our time so short in DC I opted to keep my camera away (for the most part) and just take it all in. So instead of doing a play-by-play of our day I thought it would be fun to do a Friday favorites - DC. edition, sharing all our favorite things we got up to in DC. Enjoy!
Our AirBnb
Okay so this is just a picture of the gated entrance, but isn’t this place just the cutest? I was so glad we opted to stay at an Airbnb in DC, I just had to have my own row house experience! This is the Viking and I’s second experience with Airbnb, and to be honest, I much prefer this over a hotel any day, especially if they all are as charming as this place!
Capitol Tour
Growing up government and US history were always my favorite classes. In university I was a political science minor. So when we were planning our trip to DC I knew I had to visit the Capitol! Sadly I was slow to the game and didn’t book a tour in time, but then the best thing happened.
Two weeks before our trip I got an email from a blog reader (these emails, they seriously just make my day) saying how helpful my blog was in planning her Iceland trip. She happened to work at the Capitol and offered to give the Viking and I a tour of the Capitol when we were in DC if we were interested.
What!!! Yes, please!
So the first thing H and I did on our day in DC, head to the Capitol to meet Denise for our tour.
I am always so thrilled (and surprised!) when I hear someone reads my blog, and getting to meet my readers, it makes all those blogging struggles worth it!
The Viking and I had the best time on our tour with Denise, it was a highlight of our trip, especially when we got to ride on this little train between buildings.
We didn’t have much time for our tour since H and I were trying to fit in seeing as much as possible but Denise did an awesome job taking us around sharing fun facts and even showing us a few hidden gems.
A bonus of the tour, we happened to walk past now retired Speaker of the House John Boehner right after he handed in his resignation. Camera flashes blinded us for a minute and the security meant we couldn’t check out all the places on the tour, but what an awesome thing to experience on our Capitol tour!
Thanks so much Denise for the tour it was so fun meeting you, come to Iceland again soon!
Walking in the sunshine around the National Mall
Even though I was suppose to be taking it easy and resting my legs for the marathon I just couldn’t help myself, with the sun out and shining I had to be walking around outside.
H and I spent our early afternoon walking around the National Mall taking in all the different monuments we have seen so many times on TV. With the fall colors surrounding the area it was one beautiful stroll and worth the tired legs!
I needed this horse to tour DC with!
Getting to walk around and see all of the monuments in real life, it was a happy day for me. After going to so many museums and monuments in Europe, places that I never learned about in school but H did, it was fun to finally get to visit the places I studied in school and share my knowledge with the Viking.
The Fall colors of DC
The colors in DC, they were gorgeous!
When I first told the Viking fall was my favorite season he thought I was crazy. His idea of fall is rainy, stormy Iceland with a week of those pretty fall colors if you are lucky. After exploring DC H now understands why I love fall, and how fun it is to crunch through leaves!
I think I have more pictures of leaves than anything else from this trip ha. They were too pretty not to photograph though. It was nice to get to extend our fall for a few extra days as fall has definitely left Iceland. I am already missing all those beautiful colors!
Happy hour in Alexandria
By the early afternoon we had walked until our legs ached and were more than ready to sit down and relax for a while. Thanks to several of your recommendations we opted to head to Alexandria to check out the Old Town. We didn’t make it far before we found a happy hour, it was an important stop as I was hydrating for a marathon.
Just kidding I only got one drink, that darn marathon.
Sitting outside on a beautiful fall evening taking in the happenings of Old Town was the perfect way to end our day of exploring. Even though we missed visiting Georgetown on this trip it was nice to enjoy a quieter area after rushing around all day. And if we hadn’t visited Alexandria H wouldn’t of found his dream car.
Okay, maybe it is not his dream car, but he did have to stop and take several pictures of it. I will give it to him, he did get the most charming picture with the car.
Other things that I have to mention about DC.
// The traffic, oh my goodness, that would just put my blood pressure through the roof if I dealt with that on a daily basis!
// Speaking of traffic, we took our first Uber. It was so easy, Uber really needs to come to Iceland!
// The food, everything we ate, it was delicious!
// Everyone we met in DC was so friendly and helpful. Things got a bit different when we headed up to NYC:)
Our time in DC, it was wonderful, H and I both agreed we preferred our time in DC to NYC. I am so glad we added this stop to our trip, even if it was a bit of a hassle with the extra travel. It was worth it.
DC the Viking and I will be back!
Question of the Day?
Have you visited a city for a short time that you would love to return to?
