We entered the cool aluminium lift in the International Spy Museum and a steely voice told us we were on a mission. We were to pick an identity as we entered and we would be quizzed about our details throughout the exhibitions. I was so excited. I'd come to this museum because it was Tim's must-do in DC, but here I was wrapped up in it all. The lift doors opened slowly to reveal walls full of identities. I scanned a few, trying to pick one which was easy to remember but they all had complicated names and birth places. Finally I found an 18-year-old Mexican called Maria Lopez. It didn't get much more stereotypical than that. But the great surprise came when Tim stumbled upon a 25-year-old guy called Mike from Waipu, New Zealand. We were so excited. A little mention of the 'pu in Washington! So cool.
I was almost nervous going through to the next stage. There were fascinating exhibitions about the spy world with gadgets straight from 007 films and interactive screens where you could try to guess the spy in different situations. I was trying to find a good balance between taking it all in and remembering that Maria Lopez was a politics student from Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Spy Museum has a good day's worth of exhibitions. Everything that has anything to do with the spy world is there in great detail. It was amazing to see the ways agents were smuggled across borders and to see all the crazy gadgets which were actually used. I was stunned to learn about the early days of spying and how it was used during the world wars. And there were fascinating films about what happens to agents when they get caught. Scary stuff!
When it came time to enter in the details of our mission, I actually got them all right. I could barely believe it as I normally have the memory of an alcoholic goldfish. I left the museum thinking if only I was better at lying, I could really get into this sneaky spy business.
Next stop: What would Washington DC be without all its great monuments?
Check out more photos from my trip in my Flickr album.
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