DC in April: Crash course in American History

How shockingly ignorant I am of American history! This long weekend in Washington DC felt like a school field trip. From trips to the White House, the Smithsonian museums and a tour of the U.S. Capitol, everything reminded me of how little I knew of the workings of the U.S. government, what Congress really does and how few Presidents I can name! So come with me as we embark on a crash course:

What I learned from:

The White House Visitor Center: Every First Lady gets to commission a set of china tableware when in office. Barbara Bush chose something floral, Hilary Clinton went for bright yellow and ornate gold rims!

U.S. Capitol Tour: The President is not allowed to visit the Capitol and come and go as he pleases unless invited by Congress (usually for inauguration and annual State of the Union speeches). This holds up the idea of "seperation of powers" - 3 seperate branches of goverment. The President is the Executive branch, Congress is the Legislative branch and Supreme Court is the judicial branch. This is to prevent one party becoming all powerful - a reaction to the colonies' experience under the English monarchy!

Also, when visiting, do not bring in any food or drink. Nothing - even the mints and chewing gum in your bag. You will have to throw it all away.

National Museum of Natural History: Sparkling jewellery pulls in the crowds! I could only peep at the diamond jewellery exhibits from the top of people's heads. The Hope Diamond is big! They have live jazz in the cafeteria on Friday nights.

National Air and Space Museum: The "Spirit of St.Louis" was the first plane to ever cross the Atlantic. See various Apollo launchers. See the plane that broke Mach 1. Amelia Earhart's plane was bright red! The Wright Brothers originally made bicycles. Learn how astronauts went to the toilet!