Have you ever visited a brand new place and felt as if you were at home, or at least in a very familiar place--sort of like deja vu, except you know you've never been there before, even in another life, and you wonder why it took you so long to finally get to that place?
Well, having traveled to remote areas of the Far East and the tiniest villages in the Old World, I find it absolutely astonishing that it's taken me more than thirty years to get to my nation's capital.
When views like this are everywhere you turn. Views that even George and Martha enjoyed.
And where you can take pictures from way up high like this FOR FREE.
And where you can get this close to where the President lives.
And then you can literally walk down the street to a farmer's market in the middle of the week at the end of the workday (or after a long day of exploring FREE museums and monuments and beautifully clean streets where you don't feel afraid to walk) and buy this delicious and refreshing organic drinkable yogurt with honey made from the milk of grass-fed cows and with probiotic and live cultures from Clear Spring Creamery.
And nibble on these cute little mildly spicy beef and chicken empanadas from Chris' Marketplace (apparently known for their amazing jumbo lump crabcakes).
And then top it all off with this incredibly craveable pastry filled with a layer of chocolaty goodness and a dollop of luscious, velvety pistachio cream. Oh my, oh my.
Then, of course, you've got to grab a couple of these scrumptious cookies (namely, lemon drop, lemon ginger, and double chocolate) from Praline Bakery (same place where the pistachio chocolate pastry can be found) to mischievously nosh on after midnight (without feeling guilty, of course, because, hey, they're from the FRESHFARM Market, by the White House!).
What a magnificent town.
What a magnificent country.
I'm proud to call it mine.
