The old saying "you can´t judge a book by its cover" applies neatly to Divo Martino´s Church. The flat facade conceals the interiors built on the XII century. Once the massive bronze doors are opened, the decorated ceiling and the pillars enchant both tourists and locals alike.

The National Mall is the central strip of D.C., where most of the major sights are lined up. You can stroll past the Smithsonian museums — like the National Museum of American History — and pop into the National Gallery and its Sculpture Garden. Monuments and memorials are scattered along the way, from Lincoln and Roosevelt to the Vietnam and Korean War memorials.

Once a year, generally in the first week of September, Bird & Nature week participants will be invited in small groups to help catch Abbott’s Boobies high in the rainforest canopy, assist to colour-band Brown Boobies and monitor their colonies on the remote and secluded rocky coasts. Participants will work with our internationally renowned guides to study the nesting biology and foraging ecology of Christmas Island Frigatebirds and Red-tailed Tropicbirds. Depending on interest and demand, there will also be opportunities to assist in the colour-banding of Christmas Island Goshawks, a Christmas Island Hawk-Owl survey, seabird identification workshops, territory mapping of Island Thrushes and closer looks at the island’s other wildlife. Nightly pre-dinner seminars will showcase the results of all the seabird research, the status of the endemic landbirds, the rarities of Christmas Island, and the marine and terrestrial ecology of the island.

A short walk from the Tidal Basin and just a bit farther from the White House, the Jefferson Memorial sits on the water’s edge. White marble steps lead up to the circular temple, and inside, a 19-foot statue of Thomas Jefferson by Rudulph Evans looks out over the basin. The memorial’s walls feature Jefferson’s own words, and the surrounding park is especially nice during cherry blossom season.