Okay – maybe the tension wasn’t that palpable – but the giggles certainly were. But that didn’t mean we were any less keen on following the map that took us to the sundial in the park upon which the message, whose code we had to break, was inscribed.

Not surprisingly, the Spy City Tour is an offshoot of the intriguing Spy Museum in Washington, DC. And, Washington, DC, not surprisingly, is the Spy Capital of the World.

Now, I’ve lived in the DC-area long enough to be, if not on a first-name basis, at least familiar with some of the most famous names: Aldrich Ames, Alger Hiss, Robert Hanson, not to mention the Watergate break-in. And as we went from one site of betrayal to another –- whether espionage drop-off, clandestine meeting, undisclosed defection or exchange of classified materials -- I was amazed at my own complicity. I had dinner there; um, yes, there too; oh, had drinks there; yup, stayed there.

It was eerie, as if my social life paralleled their secret lives. Okay, okay, perhaps I’m getting a tad carried away, but the spy tour lends itself to over-dramatization.

As part of our Training 101, we were briefed on techniques spies used to convey information such as the “brush pass,” the “dead drop” or the “wet job.” (Don’t even go there!) Videos of “intelligence insiders” from the CIA and KGB disclosed what it was like to operate undercover, recruit “assets,” and move through hostile territory without attracting attention. After that, everyone we passed -– the beggar on the street, the woman pushing the baby carriage, the Fed-Ex delivery man – looked suspicious. Secret agents were everywhere in this clandestine city –- and could be anyone! I’ve even been eyeing you a tad suspiciously lately.

My favorite part? Watching an ordinary person assume a new identity before our very eyes. It’s not just a matter of changing clothes, wigs or facial hair. It’s a matter of assuming a whole new personality -– adopting subtle mannerisms, a way of speaking, standing, walking or even how you hold a knife and fork. One mistake -– and your cover may be blown, your mission undermined, your life in danger. Makes you appreciate your desk job a bit more, eh?

Our tour guide -– er, trainer -– periodically resorted to a Russian accent mid-storyline –- which produced even more giggles, but these were more… furtive. Still, the different tales of intrigue were mesmerizing. How the Russians bugged our embassies while we bugged theirs, both building underground tunnels to intercept conversations. How money, secrets and sex were exchanged throughout the Cold War. And how more difficult it is today to carry on covert operations. The Jihadists live in caves – you can’t bug a cave. Nor are there central headquarters issuing orders that can be decoded. And with so many “copycat crimes” lacking overall organization it’s difficult to intercept communications because there aren’t any.

I actually found it a lot more comfortable dealing with the mysterious history of deception and betrayal in the Nation’s Capital than in its modern-day relevance to the real world. The one is…well, romantic; the other, just scary! Gotta go now, my handler is waiting for me…

Until my next destination –

Fyllis

Fyllis Hockman is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance travel writer. She writes regularly for The Washington Times, is syndicated by the Copley News Service, and is a feature columnist for several online travel magazines. Ms. Hockman's travel stories also have appeared in the New York Post, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Providence Journal, Halifax Herald, Boston Herald, Gazette Newspapers, Asbury Park Press, New Hampshire Sunday News, Buffalo News and many other publications. She is the author of AAA Guidebook: A Photo Journey to Washington, D.C. and co-author of the Pelican Guide to Maryland. Ms. Hockman is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and Travel Journalists Guild.

© 2007

OffbeatTravel