Our Summer '08 Vacation

The Flight

For the first four days of the Summer, we thought the East would be perfect. We really prepared for this trip. Isabelle and I had manicure and pedicure the day before our flight. We also had little Izzy seen by her doctor before we flew to make sure she didn't have an ear infection that would bug her to the max in the plane especially on landing. Her doctor said she didn't have it. But when we were landing, baby was just getting crazy- squirming and screaming in pain. She kept saying, "ouwee, eew!" That gave us an idea that the pressure in the plane gave her ear so much pain and that she really did have an ear infection. But her suffering ended as we got out of the plane.

Driving Around

We rented a jeep SUV at National and drove from Reagan airport to Washington, DC. It's our first time in DC and we can't help but be amazed at the beautiful and unique architecture around. My favorite one is the Executive building. I was so in awe that I even forgot to take a photo of it. Funny. But anyway, this one I captured while we were driving on one of the major roads. Driving around the city was crazy. Also, they use the shoulder of the road for parking. Parking space was so hard to find. You basically have to drive for hours before you could find one. Plus, the city seems to do a bad job in putting signs. Another thing that keeps the traffic flow very slow is that there are traffic lights every few meters. There's just a big crowd walking around for sightseeing.
Before we really got into sightseeing and passed out in hunger, we stopped at a park between the White House and the Monument. We had lunch that I packed from home. Izzy got to walk around the park and chased the ducks and the birds around the fountain.


Our Hotel

We stayed at The Virginian Suites. We like the hotel mainly for its accessibility. It is just 10 minutes away from DC. It also has got basically what we need at home. It's got a fully-furnished kitchen, dining, entertainment area, walk-in closet, bathroom, a little room with a safe and a big nice bed. And yes, not to forget the swimming pool and the beautiful lobby.







Swimming


Dining

What is a vacation without dining out! And for me, it's impossible without my vanilla latte! Even before flying to DC, my mouth was already watering thinking of the fresh tuna and other seafood we could get in the east coast. So on our first night, we looked for a really nice restaurant in Georgetown just across our hotel. We found Grillfish after driving for at least an hour. I had the best grilled tuna ever! Paul had his favorite grilled salmon! And Izzy had her famous RICE!

This is the food we had on our dinner cruise.

Church

On Sunday morning, we went to a baptist church. We really loved the church. It's the first church in America that I've been to that gives so much importance to praying together as a body of believers. We also loved the inductive preaching they had. We were so blessed.

Our Lunch Cruise

Paul and I love dinner cruises. The one we had in DC was superb! The boat was beautiful. It tours through the Potomic River so we got to see the beauty of Washington DC and part of Virginia. Most of the dinner-passengers were African-American so we had a chance to experience the southern hospitality. Man, they're super warm and friendly. They love to dance, sing, laugh and most of all, they love to dress up. I felt elated when a few of them thought I dressed up so well- wearing shoes that matched well with my dress. LOL! (Laugh out loud!)

The Monument

While all the rest of the crowd at the National Monument basked in heat straight from the sun, I enjoyed the shade my umbrella provided for me. Being a tropical Filipino doesn't automatically gave me the privilege to be free from the harmful rays of the sun. There you go... MY UMBRELLA!

Plenty of Walking

Walking to the Reflection Pool between the Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, Isabelle was busy greeting people, "Hi!" she said. She even greeted every bird and every duck she saw. And take note, she also greeted the most tamed squirrel we've ever met! There are times that walking is no longer my idea of fun! So we had to sit and relax for a minute and then we would walk more. Ice cream helped Izzy to calm down in a very hot weather.

The Reflection Pool


The Lincoln Memorial


The White House

We were hoping we could see President Bush at the White House but he was a little busy with the other guests. I'm kidding. We really wanted to tour around the White House but we were not able to make an appointment for that beforehand. They need an appointment made a month earlier for that. So we were just contented to see the front and back of the house. When we got there after walking from the restaurant, where I had the best crab cakes ever, Isabelle was sleeping. We took pictures with her napping. But when we got to the other side of the house, she woke up. She didn't want to leave DC without seeing the White House, that's what her mommy thought at least.

The US National Capital

Exactly what were Paul and Isabelle doing here? Simple, they were fighting over MY UMBRELLA!

Baltimore, Maryland

Bye Bye