A space for reflection
David Enzel 
U.S. News Travel has recognized the Four Seasons Washington, DC as one of the best hotels in Washington, DC in its 2023 evaluation of hotels that offer high-quality amenities and exceptional experiences.
I’ve been to this hotel many times over the years and can attest to the gracious staff, great food and lovely decor.
The Four Seasons is the only hotel in Washington to be awarded Five Stars by Forbes, and Five Diamonds by AAA.
The Washington Open is the only professional tennis tournament in the nation’s capital. It takes place every summer at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, a venue chosen at the urging of Arthur Ashe, an early supporter of the event.
As one of the key lead-up tournaments to the US Open in New York City, the Washington Open holds an important place on the tennis calendar. It is an ATP 500 event on the ATP Tour and a WTA 500 event on the WTA Tour.
The tournament dates back to 1969, when it was called the Washington Star International. It was played on clay courts until 1986, when the surface changed to hard courts. In 2011, the event added its first women’s tournament, held separately in College Park, Maryland. The following year, the men’s and women’s events were consolidated at the Washington venue. In 2023, with the discontinuation of the WTA’s Silicon Valley Classic, the event merged into the Washington Open — creating the first and only joint-500-level event on the ATP and WTA tours.
Notable men’s singles winners include Ken Rosewall, Jimmy Connors, and Andre Agassi. Agassi (1990–91, 1995, 1998–99) holds the records for most titles (five) and most finals (six, including runner-up in 2000). He also shares the record for most consecutive titles (two) with Michael Chang (1996–97), Juan Martín del Potro (2008–09), and Alexander Zverev (2017–18).
On the women’s side, champions have included Sloane Stephens, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff. Magdaléna Rybáriková (2012–13) holds the record for most titles (two) and co-holds the record for most finals (two) with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (runner-up in 2012 and 2015).
I began attending in 2016 as my interest in tennis grew. Over the years, I have watched and photographed many outstanding players at the Washington Open. They are all remarkable athletes and a joy to see compete in person.
Sources: Wikipedia | Tournament Website | The Washington Post
The Tunnel des Tuileries is a tunnel parallel to the Seine at the Quai des Tuileries close to the Louvre. Today, the 861m long (2,825 feet) tunnel is reserved for pedestrians, bicycles and street artists. When it opened in 1967, it was used for one-way traffic from west to east as an integral part of Voie Georges-Pompidou.
In July 2022, colorful lights were installed. Artists have painted several huge frescos inside the tunnel. If you like street art, it’s worth a visit.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Berlin twice. The first time was in the early 1980s and the second time in 2018. The transformation was dramatic.
I visited Berlin in the early 1980s. Berlin was then a divided city. I stayed in the Western zone near the Kurfurstendamm, which at the time was the heart of Berlin. I took a one day bus tour to the East. We crossed through Checkpoint Charlie. The bus was thoroughly searched by East German border guards. In contrast, the American military just let us pass freely.
The West was vibrant with shops, restaurants and people everywhere, In contrast, buildings in the East still showed signs of the bombing it received in the war. There were Soviet style memorials throughout East Berlin.
Our East German guide was openly dispirited and seemed to be reciting a script he was told to speak, especially when he spoke of “warm relations” with the then Soviet Union. At the end of the day, I was glad to be back in the West where I felt free and comfortable.
The French Embassy in Washington is demonstrating France’s long historic ties to the United States and its support for Ukraine. A replica of Statue of Liberty is on the lawn in front of at the French Ambassador’s Residence in Washington.
The bronze statue, dubbed “Lady Liberty’s Little Sister,” was crafted from the original 1878 plaster model that French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi used in his designs for the Statue of Liberty in New York. The replica stands at 9 feet and weighs nearly 1,000 pounds. It is one-sixteenth the size of the original.
Following the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine “Lady Liberty’s Little Sister” has been sporting a Ukrainian flag. It’s a bold symbol of support.
Laura Pausini is an Italian singer who rose to fame in 1993 with her debut single “La solitudine“, which became an Italian standard and an international hit.
Over the years, she has released fifteen studio albums, two international greatest hits albums and one compilation album for the Anglophone market only. While she primarily sings in Italian and Spanish, her versatility extends to recordings in English, French, Portuguese, and Catalan.
What draws me most to Pausini is her glorious voice—powerful yet beautiful, with a resonance that seems to project straight into my soul.
The Turkish Navy received its largest vessel on April 10, 2023. I had the good fortune to see it up close while I was visiting Istanbul. The new ship was docked very near my cruise ship.
According to Reuters, Turkey aims to extend its drone capabilities from land-based to naval operations amid increased regional tensions as war rages in Ukraine on the other side of the Black Sea.
The ship is called the Anadolu (L-400). It is an amphibious assault ship that can be configured as a V/STOL (vertical and/or short take-off and landing) aircraft carrier. It is named after the peninsula of Anatolia (Turkish: Anadolu) which forms the majority of the landmass of Turkey. Construction began in 2016 in Istanbul. The TCG Anadolu was commissioned on April 10, 2023.
The TCG Anadolu can handle only light aircraft, chiefly helicopters and jets that can take off from shorter runways. Even so, the ship is impressive. It has a 5,440 m2 (58,600 sq ft) flight deck and a 990 m2 (10,700 sq ft) aviation hangar which can accommodate either 12 medium-sized helicopters or 8 Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. When the aviation hangar and the light cargo garage are unified, the ship can carry up to 25 medium-sized helicopters. Alternatively, the ship can carry up to 10 American-made F-35B STOVL fighter jets and 12 medium-sized helicopters, with the possibility of hosting six more helicopters on the flight deck of the ship.
The new ship is a source of national pride for Turkey.
A great narrator can elevate an audiobook, while the wrong voice can ruin the experience. Over the years, I’ve come across narrators whose performances consistently add depth, clarity, and emotion to the books they bring to life.
Here is a list of exceptional narrators, in no particular order. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Please feel free to suggest other favorites in the comments—I’m always looking for new voices worth listening to.
Last updated: January 31, 2023
Constitution Gardens is located between the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The 50-acre park was originally beneath the Potomac River. Near the end of the nineteenth century, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated a dredging project that created the land that became Potomac Park. The U.S. Navy built the Main Navy and Munitions Buildings as temporary offices on the land during World War I. The buildings were demolished in 1971. President Nixon later ordered that a park be established on the land, and in 1976, Constitution Gardens was dedicated as a “living legacy American Revolution Bicentennial tribute.” Constitution Gardens has been a separate park unit since 1982.
Constitution Gardens has a small pond, which contains the Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence on an island open to pedestrians.
No, it’s not the Lincoln Memorial.
In 1868, a statue of 16th President Abraham Lincoln sculpted by Lot Flannery was erected on the south side of the former District of Columbia City Hall building (“Old City Hall”) at Judiciary Square. This became the first public monument in Lincoln’s honor. The monument appeared just three years after Lincoln’s assassination on April 15, 1865, at the age of 56.
The Washington Post reports that 20,000 people gathered to witness the monument’s dedication. All federal and municipal offices were closed. Flags flew at half-mast and cannons boomed every half-hour. Many consider this monument to be the best likeness of Lincoln.
The building itself was built in 1820. It was designed by George Hadfield, who supervised construction of the United States Capitol from October 1795 to May 1798. Hadfield was born in Livorno, Italy in 1763.
The building now houses the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the highest court of the District of Columbia. Established in 1970, it is equivalent to a state supreme court, except that its authority is derived from the United States Congress rather than from the inherent sovereignty of the states.
