Spiralling out of Control | Exploring DC

Why walk in a straight line when there are so many hidden treasures off the beaten path?

There are many a person who goes on a city-break with a “tick list” in hand: a list of things they want to see and do. Of course, when time is of the essence this may very well be the quickest way to get acquainted with a new city. Personally, I prefer to get lost in a new place so that by the time I find my way again, I’ve also managed to make it my own.

Washington DC is no exception to my roundabout ways of exploring. The only thing I knew about my first outing in DC was that at some point I will reach Georgetown. There was no mistaking it once I got there, and here are some of the spirals, curves and zigzags that I discovered on my equally topsy-turvy journey.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Zigzag

The first thing that I absolutely had to stop and capture on film (well… its digital equivalent rather) was this stunning powder-blue staircase. Amazing curves and a colour to match. If you look carefully you will notice that the sign above the door is a steam locomotive! The romantic in me could not resist.

Blue Spirals by Vic Briggs, Georgetown: Washington DC

This second find made me grin ear to ear. How often do bikes go quite this pink? I loved how this oldie was refurbished into a flower pot, and although it is a little worse for wear, I would not have it look any other way. Did you spot the zigzags?

Pink Cycling by Vic Briggs, Georgetown: Washington DC

After zigzagging all around Georgetown, we took a well deserved by the Potomac and let our legs dangle off the curve of this water-side path, so that we may watch at leisure the rowers who were speeding through the heat of the day towards the nearby bridge.

Summer on the Potomac by Vic Briggs, Georgetown: Washington DC

I have to agree with Ben: “The quickest way between two points might be a straight line, but it’s rarely the most interesting one.”

Hidden Within

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Containers

We all have our secret hiding places, where we can get away from the world and spend time with our own recollections. Yet there is no better hiding place than being in a crowd. And when we find ourselves in a new city, anonymity is bound to be ours for the taking.

My choice of container may be unusual at first glance. Yet there are more than people within. There is exhilaration at the prospect of new discoveries, a thirst for knowledge and a sense of adventure. There are memories in the making, history finding its way from the shadows of nearby buildings and unveiling their secrets to those within, whenever they dare step off for a half hour. There are hopes and there is laughter, curiosity and delight.

Feel free to add more to the list. What does your inquisitive self hope for when you first arrive in a city or another new place of your choosing?

Mind The Gap