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So, grampa has this opportunity to attend a special program in our nation’s capital. I just could not say no. Being paranoid about our finances, I felt determined to make this as low budget as possible. Lucky for me there were people driving to Washington DC and I was able to hitch rides both ways for just minimal cost.

Washington is one of the most interesting cities with its fabulous museums, venerable government buildings, a supreme sense of history, historic monuments, and political intrigue. It felt frustrating to have the opportunity to experience this amazing city and yet on a low budget so much of this had to be set aside.

Hotels in our nation’s capital city tend to run very high. The hotel where the conference was held was too high for my taste. Fortunately, there were youth hostels available for those of us who are budget challenged. I spent 3 nights at the youth hostel for less money than one night at the hotel would have cost.

Now for those of us who qualify as grampa, you might wonder how we could qualify to stay at a youth hostel. That is not really an issue. There were other older people staying at the youth hostel. There are some challenges for us older folks, however. The youth hostel’s sleeping areas are double bunks and grandpa may have difficulty climbing up the ladder. Lucky for me, I was assigned a lower bunk which solved that particular issue. I did mention to grandma, who was not going to Washington, that I hoped a pretty blond was in the bunk above me. Grandma responded that the pretty blond would remain above me.

Youth hostels can be very interesting places to meet a great variety of people. During my stay, I met a gal from France and several men from Germany. I spoke with another older gentleman from Connecticut and various other people. It was interesting to interact with the staff of the youth hostel in ways not found in any hotel.

During my stay in Washington, I took the MARC train from Union Station to Baltimore to visit a friend who is in a nursing home. I took a local bus to the nursing home. It was difficult to know where my bus stop was. I actually found it on the way back into town. I had to walk almost one mile to get to the nursing home. I did get my exercise that day. My friend and I went out to lunch.

There was one other important appointment in Baltimore, but I was running behind schedule and took the subway. Getting off at what I felt was the correct stop, I ended up twisted around and totally lost. When I was younger, I had an excellent sense of direction but that seems to have gone the way out of my head. During this time, I felt very frustrated which did nothing to help find my way to my destination. I ended up calling and sharing that I just couldn’t find my way.

The problem of finding my way back to Baltimore’s Penn Station remained. As luck with have it, I saw the tracks of the Baltimore light rail. This would take me to Penn Station. However, the loop to Penn Station was temporarily out of service, but a different route would take me within 4 blocks. After all the walking I had done earlier, 4 blocks were a piece of cake.

Upon arriving back at Union Station in Washington, I had dinner at the food court. I found an interesting crepe restaurant and enjoyed my dinner right at Union Station.

Tuesday was a blustery and cold day in Washington and poor Grampa had to stand out in the cold for one hour. Luckily, Gramma was waiting at home to welcome her poor frosty husband home.