It's another lovely day as Matt and I head off for Washington DC. It's time to see a little more of this fine city and seat of power in this vast country. Today's tourist spots are the Lincoln Memorial and that end of the National Mall, that slightly long area of DC that stretches from the Capitol Building all the way to Lincoln's Statue. Then it'll be across the Potomac and into the National Cemetery. We're lucky with the parking. There's space at the right end of Ohio Drive and before long we're into the temple and reading not only about Lincoln but the events that have taken place around this famous spot. Martin Luther King had a dream here and many other anti-war protests, rights marches and other such events have taken place here.

It's cold and windy outside. The thermometers suggest it's a somewhat cool freezing with added (or subtracted) wind chill. Stepping outside for the day wasn't a great idea. It is cold. Damn cold and the wind chill is only making things worse. Luckily the inside of the car is warm. The sun's out, so that's something! Matt and I are headed for Richmond, VA. As usual, I am following in the footsteps of Matt's parents who tend to find the interesting things to do and I follow some months behind. It also means Matt gets to do most things twice. Some of the plans for the day are scrapped. Anything outside isn't a great idea so we decide on concentrating the day around the Capitol Building, home of Virginia's government.

I've barely slept all night. The excitement of returning to the USA is a little too much. Somewhere around 4.30am a text message arrives. It's from BA. My flight from Manchester to Heathrow has been cancelled. I try ringing the number given for BA customer services but they don't open till 6am. This is why I always leave suitable gaps between connecting flights.

The all new Wembley Stadium is a sight to behold. Approaching it takes forever, coming out of Wembley Park station the stadium looks massive and continues to do so. Walking towards it takes forever. Massed throngs of ticket touts block all available footpaths. Today was all about football. For the second time Wembley was hosting a regular season NFL game, this time between the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers. Last year's Giants-Dolphins game had become a mud bath due to incessant rain. Today, however, rain wasn't expected. At least not to the same level.

I've been awake since 5.30am. The bites I've acquired have been itching all night and now it's just a bit too much. Another beautiful Parisienne morning arrives. The pavements are already lined with cigarette butts and mopeds as we head out in the maze of the Paris Metro to make our way to Versailles.

Walking down from the hotel to Louvre and spending several hours in the famous museum and gallery is a taxing affair. Arriving early is recommended as the queues grow quickly. There are some extremely touristy things to do in Paris and the Louvre is one of them. It's a big museum. Very big. It would take days to see everything. Those visiting Paris for a few days should think ahead. Plan and have an idea of which areas you would like to see then head in. There are over 35,000 things to see ranging from the ancient Egyptian and Greek civilisations through to the more modern and famous works of art.