'Hold the sun'

I'm writing this entry somewhere in the blackness of North Carolina, halfway through our marathon overnight rail journey (the first of many) between Washington and Charleston. I've just read an article about how the government is preparing to lay high-speed track across the nation, but I don't know if it's worth the effort. These Amtrak trains are great lumbering contraptions, especially compared to our recent experiences on the Japanese Shinkansen, and right now our carriage is wobbling more than the American economy (there's that satire I promised you) but they're pretty comfortable, and they get you from A to B. The carriage is dark; Scarlett's asleep; in fact I think everyone on board is asleep, very possibly including the driver. Am I the only person in the world who can't fall asleep sitting up?

The train makes occasional stops at towns with evocative names, like Charlottesville and Rocky Mount, so how disappointing that they appear to be thoroughly unremarkable (I half-imagined the latter to be a high-altitude 19th-century Post Town surrounded by unlikely Virginian snow). The choosing of place names was such an integral part of the formative American experience (how else do you humanise or indeed Anglicise a hostile and unfamiliar landscape?) that the relentless homogeneity of these modern towns seems a shame, but there you go.

We had an absolutely fantastic 24 hours in DC, or 'The District' as its residents insist on calling it; it felt like we were there for so much longer than that. Our first port of call was, naturally, the White House, where we almost caught a glimpse of the Obamas' new puppy, but didn't quite. I know everyone says this, but I was quite taken aback by how small it is (the White House, not the dog) - you would really expect the presidential pad to be a spacious affair, but it isn't at all, it's quite cosy. In a good way, I think.

On the other end of the scale, I was stunned by how big the Washington Monument is; it towers over everything else in the city. They were very fond of that guy, evidently. The memorials to Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosevelt and the Second World War are tastefully presented, pleasant places to chill out and contemplate those men/events. We also went to the National Museum of American History, which had lots of history in it, so I was happy, and also Judy Garland's ruby slippers from the 'Wizard of Oz', so Scarlett was happy.

I really liked Washington. The glorious April weather may have had something to do with this; it's the only time of year when the city finds a happy medium between the gnawing cold of winter and the unbearable, swampy heat and humidity of summer (the climate was the principal reason for the choice of location for the capital of the union - it was hoped that its inhospitality would discourage 'good men' from entering executive politics).

Anyway, I'll sign off for now, since I'm going to have another go at falling asleep, as we rumble ever southwards into the enveloping blackness of the Carolinan night.

- Adam