The Wicked Jig (The Irish Experience)

Our last full day in DC we persuaded my sister Alyson and her husband Scott to experience the International Spy Museum. We obtained secret identities, crawled SILENTLY through vents (there was a noise meter inside--and no self-respecting spy would let the level rise to red...keep it in the green, son, keep it in the green), and learned all about the history of spying. Did you know that Mata Hari was actually executed because she was a TERRIBLE spy? And that the James Bond movies often inspired espionage gadgets, and not the other way around?

We visited the house where Lincoln died, across the street from the Ford's Theatre. It took about 5 minutes. It WAS interesting, but short. We tried to see the theater itself, but just missed the time for the last tour.

In the evening we explored the streets of Fairfax in search of our last unique dining experience, and decided on another Irish restaurant. It had an extensive menu, and a Celtic folk band was playing as a way to gear up for Saint Patrick's Day on Tuesday. I had the shepherd's pie, and Jason had the lamb. We discovered Stout cheese, and fell in love. Jason also fell in love with the band (even though they were covering John Denver tunes part of the night), and bought a CD of Irish folk tunes. It was, by far, our favorite dining experience on the trip.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week to the East. Thank you to the Spackmans and the Talbots for letting us crash on their floors and for showing us the sights. It was great to see the Lundeens as well. We ate, we walked we saw. And hopefully in the near future we can do it again!