Canberra is very well planned, very pretty and nicely laid out. Canberra is also rather dull. Now some might see that as an insult, and perhaps rightly so. I will admit to thinking of DC as overly organised and dull, at least at first.
Yes, it's very awe-inspiring standing on top of the steps of the ever-impressive Capitol Building and staring down the Mall at the Washington Monument, and yes the area around the various war memorials (and the Lincoln Memorial) are all very moving and inspiring, and yes I'm probably just jaded from having seen many impressive parliamentary buildings and various war memorials from across Europe.
I know, I know. The photos above paint a rather awesome picture of the place. But I couldn't help but feel just a little bit underwhelmed by it all. I will admit to feeling a little cranky at the time due to it being a rather hot day (and being completely over dressed), and that that could have influenced my opinion of the place.
But then last night I went out to DuPont Circle (close to Georgetown), and my opinion changed completely. Here was a part of the city that had a little soul, a little character, a little attitude.
Suddenly everything seemed totally different; now today when I walked around The Mall and Capitol Buildings, things seemed to have another dimension to them - they now appeared to be more than just classic monuments and lumps of stone and clay; now they were architectural marvels, which seemed to capture the spirit of the city that I had now seen. Washington DC has enough to it to convince me that it's a nice place to be.
So yeah - I like it here.
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