The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. is a marvelous sight. Visible on arrival to Reagan National Airport, the monument greets visitors arriving at the nation’s capitol.
At night, the monument is well lit.
In the early morning, I was able to catch the sun’s rays lighting up the side of the Washington Monument.
Walking around the Washington Monument, I took this experimental shot with the monument backlit.
The National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. offers visitors an encounter with rare Giant Pandas.
We reached the Giant Panda exhibit shortly past noon on a warm Washington afternoon and I was concerned. After all the talk about Giant Pandas, the warm weather had me worried that our good friends would be huddled out-of-sight in some cool den. And, looking around, I could not see a single Giant Panda.
Inside the monitoring station, I could see a Giant Panda taking a nap at an indoor pen. Better than nothing, I thought.
After exiting the station, I continued walking and spotted this Giant Panda getting ready for feeding time.
The zookeeper offered the Giant Panda a brown bag of treats. In the lunch bag was bamboo shoots and frozen fruit.
Giant Panda munching away on the bamboo shoot. Big smile!
Giant Panda scratches that itch with the foot.
Thankfully, the Giant Panda made an appearance and we all left happy.
The National Zoo is a short walk from the Woodley Park-Zoo metro station.
2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Although I visited Washington, D.C. before the average peak bloom date, all the cherry trees around the tidal basin–save one–had already bloomed due to the unseasonably warm temperatures. Fortunately, the cherry trees along the Potomac River, as well as a few around the city, were still at their grandest.
I have some cherry trees in my yard, but they are not as gorgeous as the ones around the tidal basin.
From afar, the blossoms appear as pink cotton balls.
Up close, the blossoms are almost like pink carnations.
A bus runs from the Jefferson Memorial to Hains Point, if you are interested in viewing the cherry blossoms along the Potomac River.
I also found cherry blossoms at the United States Supreme Court.
I may have missed the cherry blossoms around the tidal basin, but what remained in other locations was still absolutely beautiful. Simply gorgeous.
