Wednesday

We woke up nice and early once again, packed our cases and had breakfast at our little apartment for the last time. When we’d written in the guest book and left a note (and cream eggs) for Molly, we made our way to Union Station to pick up our rental car.

After signing all the paperwork, the woman at the desk casually informed us that she had no more of the basic Chevy Cruzes left and that the only model she could offer us was a 7 seater Ford Flex. We made our way to the garage, wondering just how big the Ford Flex could possibly be, surely it wouldn’t be that big. It was. It was massive.

The Beast

After getting over the initial shock of having to drive something the size of a house, we left Washington DC, with the mantra “stay to the right” on repeat in our heads. 

Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington

We stopped at Arlington Cemetery, where we watched the changing of the guard ceremony at The Tomb of the Unknown, it was very moving to know that there’s always someone watching over them.

We wandered around the cemetery for a while before heading over to see the eternal flame at JFK’s grave. 

On the walk there we stopped and paid our respects as a funeral procession went by, with the band playing muffled drums and songs.

The cemetery is beautiful and so well maintained.

Arlington Cemetery

Blossoms in Arlington Cemetery

Back at the car, we programmed the sat nav (thank god we packed it!), sorted out the car with refreshments and music and then headed out of DC on some very scary American roads as the sat nav lady kept telling us crazy things like “keep right, then stay left”?!

Once we left the city the roads became a bit quieter and a lot prettier. Lots of trees and pretty stone walls. As we approached Baltimore we took a detour towards the coast and crossed over the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was mainly because I saw it on Google Maps months ago and thought it looked cool, but also because it would have been less busy.

Francis Scott Key Bridge

We left the interstate and found some food at a Checkers drive-thru in Edgewood, MA. When we got back on the road, the sat nav decided not to take us back onto the interstate, but to guide us along some smaller routes instead. This was fine by us and we drove through lots of very, very pretty towns as we made our way north to Lancaster County. On the way we saw plenty of Amish folk riding horses, buggies and ploughing their land the old fashioned way. In some ways it felt a bit disrespectful to gawp and take photos, so we tried to be discrete.

In Strasburg the Red Caboose Motel turned out to be exactly what we thought it would be. Quirky, old fashioned and ever so slightly odd, but also family friendly and cute.

In the late afternoon sunlight the brightly painted carriages looked stunning. Our caboose was cosy and rustic, with lots of wood and a very homemade looking bed.

After unpacking we drove down the road towards Strasburg town. On the way we stopped and had a nosey around at the Strasburg Railroad (which was closed) but it still allowed us to see all the old fashioned carriages and trains.

In Strasburg town we parked the car and wandered up and down the main street looking at all the pretty and historic buildings.

At the end of the street we happened upon the Iron Horse Inn where we had a couple of drinks and chatted to the bartender and other customers, most of whom seemed to be related in some way. It was very nice. 

After that, Laura drove home (in The Beast, on the wrong side of the car and the road, in a foreign country AND in the dark) and we went to bed.