After The Semesters - Washington DC, Lancaster and Philadelphia

On my after-semester-trip, my first three stations were Washington DC, Lancaster and Philadelphia. I arrived in Washington DC on Saturday at about noon and went directly to my hostel, where I put my bags. It was in a nice area with a lot of restaurants and bars a little bit out of the city center. After I rested for a bit, I went to the Arlington Cemetery, which is a military cemetery. This really big cemetery which has over 400.000 graves is really nice and typical for a military cemetery. I also attended a ceremony for some military personnel which was also interesting to watch. After I went to the graves of several presidents, I also went to the Pentagon Memorial, where they honored the people that died on 9/11. It was a nice place, but not really interesting.

On Sunday, I got up pretty early and went for a run in the Woodley Park, which was near the hostel I stayed in. It was a really nice park - when you were in there, you could completely forget that you are in a big city like Washington. Afterwards, I went to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial and also to the Roosevelt Memorial. I also shortly visited the Lincoln Memorial, White House and Washington Monument again and after that I went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum which was quite interesting. At the evening I also went out to drink some beers with some of the people who also stayed at the hostel - the district was really nice, there were a lot of bars there.

On Monday, I slept long and then I already had to catch my bus to Lancaster, where I arrived late in the evening. The next day, I visited the so called "Amish House and Farm" which is a place where Amish people used to live a few decades ago. I got a guided tour through the house and walked around the farm and also attended a bus tour where I could see some Amish at work, their houses and two covered bridges.

On the same day I caught a bus to Philadelphia, where I arrived late at night. The next day I visited the famous prison, called "Eastern State Penitentiary". It was really interesting, how the prisoners lived a long time ago and how they were treated and tried to escape :). I also visited the Rocky Statue and Steps, the City Hall and the Liberty Bell. Furthermore, I had a delicious Philly Cheese Steak for lunch.

My next two stops will be Boston and New York City, before I fly back to Austria.