From the 14th Floor: FINALLY - George Turned 60

George on his belated birthday outing

George turned 60 last month but I was unable to be out and about because I was recovering from cataract surgery. We decided to let Columbus Day be our belated celebration. A Viking Long Boat was docked in DC and we thought we'd take the tour. Buying the tour ticket was his first "senior's discount" - another reason to celebrate.

Things didn't start off well - the Potomac Water Taxi had failed to change their schedule for the day to a holiday schedule. That meant that the tickets I had purchased on-line were not valid. I did get a full refund but it meant that at the last minute we had to drive into the District. We also already had a timed ticket to see the long boat.

This was our first trip to the new DC Southwest neighborhood called The Wharf. Amazing!

So many new buildings!

Mexican restaurant that has received rave reviews.

We were lucky to find a parking garage near the main street and had time to stroll around and enjoy the views.

It wasn't hard to find our way to the long boat.

Terrific views along the way

I'm amazed that there are enough rich people in DC with enough TIME to go sailing!

Lots of young Vikings marauding around.

Finally we got to the long boat.

Washington Monument can be seen in the background.

Two of the 36

crew members. They sailed from Norway, living on deck. The crossing took 6 weeks. The most dangerous portion of the trip was going through Iceburg Alley off the coast of Newfoundland. Wooden boats and icebergs shouldn't mix.

I'm pretty sure she is a direct descendent of Lagertha. If that doesn't ring any bells, get busy and watch The Vikings on the History Channel.

He's actually an Aussie. All of the others were from Scandinavia.