Raid in Virginia

I reached Virginia with three travel companions in a car rented in New York as an extension of a stop in Washington. In fact the capital of the United States, which lies mainly in the District of Columbia, has over time gradually expanded beyond the Potomac river, also occupying part of Virginia. Among other things, it is precisely in Virginia that important capital institutions are located, such as the enormous Pentagon building and the Arlington military cemetery; the first we saw several times from the car, the second we brushed past from the motorway. As soon as we arrived in Washington we entered Virginia, trying in vain to reach Mount Vernon; our satellite navigator had frozen and didn't show us the place.

Having temporarily given up, we opted to return to Washington, and only late in the evening did we go back into Virginia near Alexandria to eat at McDonald's and sleep in a motel. The next morning we finally reached Mount Vernon, crossing an area of forest that runs alongside the course of the Potomac river. Here we entered the estate where the first President of the United States of America, George Washington, the father of the nation, lived with his family. For this reason, despite the gloomy day, the queue of school groups waiting to enter was rather long. Having managed to get in, we began our visit, introduced by the screening in a large cinema hall of a film about the story of this American hero, born an English officer and dying an American President.

After the film we visited the gardens, the kitchen and the agricultural outbuildings, while we avoided a very long queue for the entrance to the house, which we nonetheless peeked into through the windows at the back. Going down towards the bank of the Potomac river you come to the sober tomb of George Washington and his wife, but also that of one of the many slaves to whom the President granted freedom. On the river bank is the landing stage, and just beyond it the rather sparse plantation, even though two people dressed as in Washington's time try to liven it up by shearing a sheep. Returning towards the house you come to the barn and the farmyard with a bit of poultry. Before leaving we take a look at some reconstructed rooms, such as the overseer's room and the slaves' dormitory. At the exit there is a museum with relics of Washington and his family.

We leave Mount Vernon and, crossing the forest, return to the District of Columbia. The following morning, still in Virginia, this time to reach Dulles airport, where an American Airlines flight awaits us to Los Angeles and where we return the car rented in New York.