Expat Blogs

A Vaccaro Wedding

Adam and Deirdre’s wedding!

All Around the Capital Part Deux

My second day in DC was equally action-packed. In the morning, I headed over to the National Gallery, which is comprised of two enormous buildings. The first is mostly European and American art from the 1300s to the 1800s.

There was plenty of cool Flemish portraiture:

And even this famous ballerina sculpture by Dumas:

Next I headed next door to the contemporary building, where I saw some exhibitions, including Matisse and mobiles by Alexander Calder:

Lee and I had lunch at an excellent sandwich shop, and then it was back to the city center for the Native American History Museum. The building was constructed with an adobe-inspired design, and features many exhibits designed by members of different Native American tribes describing the diverse history, culture, art, and modern culture.

In the evening, it was back to Bethesda, MD for an evening of Dickinson reminiscing and pool-noodle duels.

 

Ways to Go.

Video

I’m choosing to ignore a few more cold rainy days and instead focus on the quest for new summer jams. Grouplove just dropped the new single from their upcoming album Spreading Rumours, and it has some definite potential.

All Around the Capital

Thanks to jetlag, my first full day in DC I was up super early to roam the city while my friends had to work. First stop was the National Zoo! I had the chance to speed-walk through the grounds before most of the school groups showed up. The museum buildings have some great exhibits (the reptile and small mammals houses!), and I was impressed with the animal enclosures as well.

Animals spotted : zebras, gorillas, an orangutan hiding in a sheet, pandas!, komodo dragons, and gharials!

Animals missed : cool birds, lions, tigers, and cheetas

After the zoo, I cruised through the city and zipped over to Meridian Park, which features a really cool fountain.

I met up with Megan for a delicious Panera lunch (why don’t they exist in France??), and went to check out the National Botanic Garden. The entire museum is a greenhouse filled with interesting plant exhibits. They had a “rain forest” room, a hall filled entirely with desert plants, and an orchid room. A temporary exhibit featured medicinal plants from around the world, which was really interesting.

Another Maxterpiece

Somehow Max has discovered that the way to a Vaccaro’s heart is through their stomach.

Sunny Days

FINALLY some summer weather had arrived in Pays de la Loire! We’re celebrating with new bikes!