Spending July in the US is a truly unique experience. Regardless of where you’re at, the summer atmosphere is ever-present, making daily activities even more enjoyable.
For the 4th of July, I went down to Washington DC to see how the capital celebrates Independence Day, and I was not disappointed. Despite the high temperatures and humidity, people came to the festivities – the parade was full of excitement, balloons, dancing, classic cars and joy. The fireworks in the evening was also spectacular and very long. They had star-shaped fireworks, smiley-faced ones and a lot more. Unfortunately, because of the lack of wind (probably), 5 minutes into the show, too much smoke accumulated, so the rest of the fireworks were not too visible. I was joking with my friends that it felt like episode 3 from the last season of Game of Thrones (no spoilers ahead, don’t worry) – what has happening there seemed really cool, but we could barely see it.
Of course, I also had to respect American tradition and celebrate the day with a barbecue! The weather was not the best, since there were scattered rains throughout the day, but a few drops were never going to spoil our enjoyment.
Believe it or not, 4th of July was not the highlight of my month. As an all-things-nature enthusiast, I was very much looking forward to seeing Manhattanhenge with my own eyes – about 4 days a year, the sunset or sunrise is aligned with the street direction of Manhattan. I was disappointed when I could not see it in May, because of the rain, but this time I made sure not to miss it – and, boy, did it deliver! To me, it is an amazing synergy between natural order and human creation. And I am very appreciative to be part of shaping the latter.
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