The weekend passed in a whir, so I thought that I would finish off my travel blog in a time-delayed format.

The experience of visiting the Washington monuments was very impactful for me. I had a lovely time. The thing that struck me about Washington was the incredible sense of intelligent and intentional design. It seemed clear to me that the smallness of the White House, and the grandeur of the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument were designed to communicate a message. Sometimes when you hear phrases like "government for the people, by the people," "freedom from tyranny," "equality," and "liberty," you can be in danger of thinking they are just slogans. The buildings of Washington, and especially the inscriptions inside the Lincoln Memorial, ensure that the visitor realises that this idea - for which many have bled and died - is every bit as potent and inspiring to the average American today as it was all those years ago. To me, the architecture is like a message engraved in stone for all time. I hope we listen to it. I trust these hopes and aspirations continue to be renewed for future generations, even as they were for Martin Luther King, Jr.