Around two in the morning, I woke up sweating – the air in the room was stagnant, it was simply much too warm. So I turned on the air conditioning, which unfortunately blew directly onto the bed. I crawled under the covers and just hoped not to catch a cold. I still barely found any sleep. At half past four, it was finally over – I was awake, well-rested, ready for the day.

A first look at the weather app, however, brought bad news: flood warning. In the next few hours, it was supposed to rain heavily – so strongly that flooding could occur. Looking out the window, it was still calm, but the rain radar looked bad. I first made myself something to drink, got dressed, and sat down at the computer. Work often helps when you're already awake early.

Around eleven, I finally managed to leave the hotel. Unfortunately, it was still pouring rain. Not a fine drizzle – but really pouring. Five steps, and you were soaking wet. So I grabbed the D6 bus and headed toward the Capitol.

Upon arrival, a long line was already waiting in front of the Visitor Center. Too many people in the rain – and all this without knowing if I would even be allowed in with my backpack or if tickets for tours were still available. So I changed my mind.

Instead, I went to the nearby Botanical Garden. At least it had a small but nicely designed indoor area – perfect for such a rainy day. Before leaving the garden, I bought myself a new sticker for my suitcase. After that, I walked on to the National Museum of the American Indian. I was surprised that it's still called that – I would have expected that by now they would say "Native Americans." But okay.

First, I went to the museum restaurant – the selection of traditional dishes of the indigenous people was interesting, but also quite expensive. I opted for a fry bread with forest berry compote. The fry bread itself was great: like a thick, slightly greasy pancake, good for sweet or savory toppings. The berries, however, were so sour that I couldn't finish them.

Afterwards, I took a small tour through the museum. It was nicely done, but honestly nothing I would have paid admission for. Architecturally, the atrium was especially impressive – the curved facade and the play of light in the interior were really worth seeing.

After that, I was drawn to the Air and Space Museum. I had been there with Steffi six and a half years ago – back then on the last day it was open, shortly before all museums were closed due to the government shutdown under Trump. We had rushed in along with thousands of other visitors before the doors closed. This time it wasn't quite as crowded – but also not fully open. More than half of the building was closed for renovation. Nevertheless, the visit was really nice again. I simply love the mix of technology, history, and megalomania.

Actually, I would have liked to take a walk afterwards, but the rain hadn't let up – on the contrary. So I took the Metro to Metro Center station, hoping to find a shopping mall somewhere to take shelter and stroll around. Unfortunately, no luck.

I briefly checked out the Hard Rock Café Store, discovered the shirt that Steffi already has – there was nothing for me this time. It continued to rain, so I got back on the Metro and rode to Dupont Circle. There I ended up at Zorba's Café – a Greek self-service restaurant with a substantial service charge. 14 dollars for Greek fries with feta and a small bottle of water – in the end, over 16 dollars appeared on the receipt. Apparently, someone had helped themselves to a 15% tip.

I've become cautious about this now. In many stores, when paying by card, there's no option below 18%. And for self-service, I personally don't see why I should give an extra tip – especially since the base prices here are already quite high.

While I was eating, I was working on a small programming problem. I tried various things, made progress – and then suddenly my internet connection was gone. My Mac had used up 16 GB of data volume in a very short time. Why remained a mystery to me. So it was back to the hotel to book a new SIM card, this time with 50 GB.

At least I managed to solve the programming problem later at the hotel. I then ended the evening with a few movies and fell tiredly into bed only after 10 PM.

See you tomorrow.