Capitol Delights

Tags

Barak Obama 2013 Inauguration, high tea, Inauguration, Paul pattiserie, Pennsylvania Avenue, sightseeing in Washington DC, The Capitol building, The Jefferson Hotel, The National Gallery, Washington DC, Zaytinias

I and my beloved hubby took a trip to our nation’s Capitol to be near the inauguration of Barak Obama, to visit with family and friends, and to enjoy the delights of the city.

The Festooned Capitol

We spent our first morning in Georgetown,

Houses along the locks.

the charming historic district

Roses in Winter

at the north end of Washington

Greetings from Georgetown

where stately townhouses grace the streets

Overlooking the towpath.

and line the towpath of the canal that runs through it.

Along the Canal

In the summer, a mule will pull this barge up the canal

A Canal Boat

and through the antique locks.

Antique Locks and a Bridge

We took a leisurely stroll under the trees and over the bridges.

Patriotic Decorations

Ultimately, we met some dear friends for brunch at my favorite French café, Café La Ruche.

Cafe La Ruche

I’m afraid I scarfed down their delicious quiche too quickly to take a picture, but if you are ever in DC, you should stop here for brunch or in the summer for lunch in their alley garden when the fountain tinkles amid potted blooms.

Sunny Skating at Washington Harbor.

After brunch, we headed over to Washington Harbor to watch the ice skaters and to look out over the Potomac River from the Key Bridge

Potomac River Promenade

to the Watergate hotel.

The Watergate on the Water

A Coast Guard boat pulled away from the landing

Guarding the Coast

as we stood and watched it sail away.

Sailing into the Sunshine

Meanwhile, children learned to skate

Skating with Penguins

with the help of friendly penguins.

Playful Penguin

We drove downtown to the elegantly renovated Jefferson Hotel

Thomas Jefferson in The Jefferson

where we headed to the bar to toast our President with a glass of champagne

Cheers to Our President

while we awaited our reservation for High Tea.

An Orchid in the Bar

Our gracious hostess escorted us through this lovely courtyard,

The Courtyard for Tea

past this gorgeous centerpiece,

Patriotic Centerpiece

to a secluded alcove

A Hidden Garden for Two

with a fountain which she thought might be more romantic for beloved hubby and I.

The Fountain Softly Gurgles

Silver, glass, and mirrors glamorously glistened on the table.

A Glittering Silvery Setting

We started with these beautiful sandwiches, arranged so artfully on a tray.

Tea Sandwiches

Cucumber with salmon roe.

A Delicate Bite

Smoked salmon with fried capers.

A Salty Treat

Warm scones came next,

A Basket of Deliciousness

which I slathered first with cherrry jam,

Sweet Goodness

then with Devonshire cream.

Creamy Heaven

Then a tiered silver tray of sweeties arrived, too many to eat in one sitting!

2 Tiers of Sweet Treats

The next day, we headed with several cousins to the Mall where we saw Pennsylvania Avenue decked out and ready for the Inauguration.

  Banners

Newseum Banners Fly

and flags waved

Flags Fly along Pennsylvania Avenue

awaiting the Presidential Parade the following day.

The Canadian Embassy

We spent our afternoon inside the National Gallery of Art enjoying Impressionist paintings

A Dreamy Monet

like these.

A Mary Cassatt Painting

The indoor gardens

A Garden Inside the Gallery

provided a welcome break

Spring Blossoms Indoors

from the winter cold outside.

As we walked back to the Metro,

May I help you?

we discovered this pastry shop, Paul,

Luscious Pastries at Paul

where we treated ourselves to a hot café au lait and a small pastry.

Fresh Baked Bread

We ended our day at Chef Jose Andres’ restaurant, Zaytinia, where we feasted on Mediterranean cuisine.

Gorgeous Baba Ghannouge

We started by dipping freshly baked pita bread into baba ghannouge and hommus.

Creamy, garlicky hommus

A crisp, refreshing fettoush salad rounded out the appetizers.

Fettoush salad of cucumbers, yellow cherry tomatoes, radishes, and toasted pita.

Then we dug into an astounding variety of mezze plates to share, too many to get pictures of all of them.  However, I did manage to capture these savory carrot, apricot, and pine nut fritters (intriguingly, richly spiced) and the roasted cauliflower in fresh dill with sultans, caper berries, and pine nuts.

Carrot Fritters in a Pool of Herbal Sauce.

Trust me, you do not want to leave DC without eating here!

Ravishingly Roasted Cauliflowers

Each dish was more delicious than the next.

Watching from above

We ended our trip the next day at a viewing party of the Inauguration and the Inaugural Parade at the office of a law firm overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue.   Unfortunately, my camera malfunctioned, so I lost the pictures I took to share of the red, white and blue floral arrangements and décor.  They even served a red, white, and blue martini the bartender invented for the occasion!  We enjoyed all of our trip, whether it all made it onto film or not.  I hope this post may give you a glimpse of the excitement and festive atmosphere in our Capitol City during Inauguration, which stirs up patriotic fervor every 4 years no matter for whom you have voted.  God Bless America and our democracy.

Wishing You Every Blessing,

Christina