Tonight is the night is the night that were losing control

Contiki for me it meant throwing out any preconceived ideas and stories I had heard and just going with it. When I was planning my trip Contiki was one thing I wasn’t 100% sure of, as I got to know some of the people I was travelling with I became more excited about it, after doing it I would highly recommend Contiki to anyone considering it.

Day 1: We had to have bags to coach in NYC at 7:30 am to hit the road, this was also the first time really meeting a lot of the people on tour. So simply put let the adventure begin. I was sitting with Lisa on the bus and we got to know Darsh, Amanda, Nick at our first stop which was Philadelphia.

First thing on the agenda, running up the Rocky Steps – well walking quickly and of course photos with the Rocky statue. The view from the top of the steps was looking back over the city before stopping by the liberty bell before lunch of a Philadelphia staple.

The Philly Cheese steak aka heart attack on a breadroll, we went to Sammys famous steaks for this experience, the boys got the meal, us girls opted for the cheese steak with provolone not cheese whip. The verdict whilst enjoyable way too  much food, and I don’t know how people could eat them often. 

It was back on the bus with our next stop being our first optional on our tour it was a tour of the Annapolis Naval Academy, we started the tour by walking through the streets and it felt like we had stepped into a set of a movie, prim and proper gardens, grand houses, each house with a flag out the front.  We got to visit the chapel which was beautiful, the gymnasium to see recruits in training.

We also got to see the Herdon Monument which each year is used during graduation where freshmen try and climb to the top, however it is usually greased up and the freshmen struggle to climb the monument. 

Washington DC was our final destination for day 1, we arrived to a very cold Washington – the coldest place I encountered on my trip it was -11c  and once again we got to see snow!

The first night was dinner and then a night time tour of DC, we got to see the Pentagon, White House, Capitol Building, Library of Congress and the Washington Monument, as well as visit the memorials of Lincoln, Jefferson and the Vietnam one. Whilst the weather was at the forefront of our mind, we braved the cold and got to see some fabulous sites the monument and capitol building of a night are spectacular. 

Seeing the Lincoln memorial was mesmerising, I have always had an interest in history, and it was surreal to see these iconic sights in real life and not just as part of a tv show or movie.