Taking a visit to Washington D.C. is like taking an American history lesson - very much like the days of going on primary school excursions to Canberra but far less boring than you think.

As you tour the city, you’ll notice almost instantly at how many large white buildings there are and one by one you’ll figure out the significance of each. But of course you can’t mistake the house of the ‘much-loved’ man, George W. Bush Jnr., the President of the United States of America. The White House, surprisingly one of the smaller monuments you’ll visit, is surrounded by plenty of secret service agents all dressed in black gear with earpieces attached to them and a stern look on their faces. One advice is to avoid looking for the White House during the night because it is merely impossible as it’ll feel like searching for a needle in a haystack (excuse the pun but its true!).

Across the road to the White House is the Washington Monument, erected in honour of America’s first President, George Washington who led the country to independence. Surrounded at the base by multiple numbers of the American flag, the Monument stands almost 170 metres high where the very tip is only visible on a clear day. The contrast of the grey cemented Washington Monument to the blue sky and the well-kept grass makes it a picture perfect spot.

From here, you’ll be able to take a winter’s stroll through the park that connects you to one of America’s well-known spots, the Lincoln Memorial, where you’ll also bypass the World War II memorial. Reaching the grand stairs of the Lincoln Memorial you’ll feel a sense of pride as these were the same stairs where plenty of revolutionary speeches have been delivered like Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I have a dream’ speech. Entering the memorial, a sense of serenity echoes inside the marble built walls where the statue of Abraham Lincoln is overlooking Washington D.C. ‘Four scores and seven years ago...’ are inscribed into the walls, the word’s of Lincoln, the sixteenth American President but the first to abolish slavery in the country.

Another famous landmark of the city is U.S. Capitol located at Capitol Hill, America’s Parliament House where all the congressmen and women congregate to make ‘important’ decisions for the country. With plenty of security surrounding the building, the area is only accessible via foot but you can find plenty of parking nearby. Despite not having access to go inside, the cylindrical dome can be explored from the outside with the daily walking tours on offer.

As you make your way to Arlington National Cemetery, the place where fallen soldiers are laid to rest, you’ll go past The Pentagon which will send chills down your spine with thoughts about the incidents of 9/11. Arriving at Arlington surrounded by complete stillness and silence you’ll instantaneously feel melancholic as you tour around the cemetery driving past hundreds of neatly planted white tomb heads marking the grave of each fallen soldier including the grave of America’s royal family, the Kennedys. The only sound you’ll hear is the clicking of shoes of the Sentinel soldiers who pace 21 steps each way as they guard 24 hours every day of the year the tombs of the unknown soldiers.