Nothing but the best of DC

Aside from the usually mundane guided tours, we were royally treated to a full blown 100 man marching band welcome at the Smithsonian normally reserved for dignitaries, an after-hours private tour of the museum plus a fully catered formal dinner in the reception hall of the Museum of American History!

Next, with extreme security precautions (metal, gas and radiation detectors, and snipers stationed on the rooftops) our American hosts specially opened Capitol Hill on a normally closed Sunday, where we toured the Senate and House of Reps chambers & sat in the  actual pews of Congress.

To top it off, our ambassador to the USA hosted a private black tie reception for our group at the magnificent Arthur Erickson designed Canadian embassy - glad to see our tax dollars at hard at work.

Being the gourmand that I am,  be glad to know that I discreetly stuffed my face with caviar, foie gras, river caught Atlantic Salmon and wild caribou hors d'ouvres washed down with champagne followed with single malt chasers - without  guilt or shame but with great satisfaction.

In keeping with the spirit of this blog none of the photos are mine!