Washington D.C.

Washington has something of a reputation as a murder capital, but that should not affect those who are not part of a street gang, or dealing in crack cocaine.

The splendid Smithsonian complex of free museums in wonderful surroundings, around a large park stretching from the Capitol to the White House, is a treat for all culture vultures. Are there really guns in the streets?

In the States during the World Cup, even the Englishman forgets about the start of Wimbledon. The sports fan finds only a few column inches given over to tennis: Lori McNeil, an American, becomes the first player to defeat a defending champion (Steffi Graff) on Centre Court, in the First Round.

Later in the evening, Team USA go on to beat the luke-warm Colombians, which leads to the death of one of the South Americans (an Escobar in Medellin) for scoring an own goal.

The Americans are stunned, and think that the followers of this sport must be the craziest.


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