Varen – PR2 Le Chemin de Cadies

Cowslips

An easy walk, made all the more easier by missing the path and thereby missing a couple of kilometres, which was a shame as we were enjoying ourselves.  The walk (if you do it properly) is 10kms in total and should take 3 hours.  It is a circular walk.  Parking in the car park by the school it is easy to pick out the PR2 signs.  It begins with a gradual climb up a road.  A lot of the walk is on roads, but these were quiet and the views stunning.  It seemed we had the countryside to ourselves – mind you it was Sunday lunchtime! The route goes past Les Jardins de Quercy.  We wanted to have a look around, but the gardens are closed until 13^th May.  We picnicked sat on a dry stone wall overlooking the gardens.  It was a beautiful spring day and the fields were full of cowslips.  All too soon we could see the spire of the church at Varen and that’s when we realised we had missed the path!  Still it meant we spent a pleasant half hour sat in the sun by the river.  The walk was taken from 38 Randonees – Tarn &Garonne, which we bought from the library in Varen.

Washington DC

The Capitol

Cherry blossom and panoramic vistas with striking monuments will be my abiding impression of Washington.  It’s not what I had expected.

On Easter Sunday we watched people rushing to church, young and old, all dressed in their Sunday best.  The neighbourhood we wandered through looked surprisingly English with Victorian type houses and neat front gardens.  

Downtown was different.  Here you felt the hustle and bustle of city life.  The roads were still wide and the buildings not overly tall so you weren’t hemmed in.  The pavements were busy though and I nearly went flying when I got between a lady and her lunch venue. She yelled "excuse me Ma'am," as she walked into me.

Food is important.  It came in different varieties and sizes to fit all budgets.  There were eateries everywhere, fast food vans, salads, sushi, Mexican, lobster and of course hamburgers. Each morning we went for breakfast at The Corner Café Bakery.  We thought this would be straightforward, but we were always bewildered by the choice. Making ourselves understood was difficult and we never understood their replies.  In the end, I ordered the same thing every morning - a fresh berry yoghurt parfait, which was delicious.   We would sit in the same seats at the window and watch people hurrying from Union Station to work with their take-out coffee.  The homeless would scurry in, furtively looking over their shoulder as they helped themselves to drinks, filling up whatever receptacles they had to last them through the day.   The managers of the establishment turned a blind eye, which seemed the charitable thing to do.  

The Washington Monument

It's a very walkable city and on our first day we walked about twenty miles.  We started from Capitol Hill and walked down The National Mall, taking in The Washington Monument, a towering 555ft pinnacle stark white against the blue sky.  The World War II Memorial had a huge water feature and was a popular place to sit.

The Lincoln Memorial in the distance

The Lincoln Memorial was crowded, but provided a good view of the Mall and the Reflecting Pool.  The Vietnam Memorial seemed understated yet extremely moving.  The volunteers answered questions with patience and sensitivity. We walked across the border to Virginia and wandered around Arlington Cemetery, which was so vast that we missed J F Kennedy's grave with its eternal flame.  We walked to Georgetown – a lovely neighbourhood with Victorian houses and a happening vibe.  Then it was on to the White House, where we joined the crowds gazing across the rear lawn while a security man with a gun patrolled the roof.  I was sure the President was going to appear, but our feet ached so we didn’t wait. 

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Reynolds Centre, which houses the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, was one of my favourite places - paintings by David Hockney, Picasso and an Andy Warhol, all set in an historic building with cosy nooks where one could sit and contemplate.  In its centre is a vast atrium where I tucked into a delicious mandarin cheesecake.

The Smithsonian group of museums are all free.  There are so many that it could keep you occupied for days.  We went to the American Indian Museum, The Air and Space museum, The National Gallery of Art – both East and West Buildings.  The East Building is undergoing renovations, but even so, the space was full of light and felt exactly right for the modern art on display.  There is a moving walkway with twinkling lights linking the old building to the new. 

Alexander Calder's incredible mobile in the East Building

I spent a happy hour sitting in the Sculpture Garden in the sun, under the watchful gaze of one of Louise Bourgeois’s giant spiders.   

The Kennedy Centre hosts free concerts each day from 6pm.  We walked there – not to be recommended as we ended up on a freeway!  We eventually arrived just in time to see The Howard Gospel Choir.  It was standing room only and we happened to be standing next to a lovely lady who couldn’t believe we had arrived on foot.  She told us how lucky we were to be seeing such a good choir.  She also told us about the free shuttle bus running between the Centre and Foggy Bottom metro station - my feet breathed a sigh of relief! Part way through the concert some seats became free and we ended up in the second row so we were indeed lucky.  It was an experience I’ll never forget and one of the highlights of our stay. We went back to The Kennedy Centre on our last evening to see The National Symphony Orchestra with a solo performance of Brahms Violin Concerto by Nikolaj Znaider - a stellar performance in a stunning environment.    

Howard Gospel Choir

The cherry trees along the Tidal Basin were beautiful, (it was the National Cherry Blossom Festival) and the banks were packed with visitors posing for their cherry blossom photo.  The Martin Luther King Jr Memorial is located here among the cherry trees with the water sparkling in the distance.  It is the newest memorial on the Mall and the first one to honour an African American.

We took a tour of The Capitol – the Rotunda was undergoing renovations, but this didn’t detract from our experience made all the more interesting by our enthusiastic guide.  Afterwards we wandered through the botanical gardens admiring the exotic orchid exhibition.

Opposite The Capitol is The Library of Congress.  It is a spectacular building and I chose a quiet time to visit, which meant I didn’t need to queue to see the reading room – setting for the film All The Presidents Men apparently.

The Reading Room at The Library of Congress

Sadly we weren’t able to do a tour of the White House as it is necessary to book tours weeks, if not months, in advance.

Lunch on our last day was at Rosa Mexicana where they prepared guacamole at our table - delicious! After lunch we wandered through the cherry trees on the Mall.   They were past their best and we felt lucky to have seen them a week earlier.

Start of the week

End of the week