A Whole Lot of DC

Day 14 - Washington, DC - Sunny & 70:

SO I am going to recap what we have done in the last two days...it's a lot so if I get tired and write more later, forgive me.

We got up early on Saturday and headed to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast before heading into town! We only had a few things on the agenda but they were GREAT!

Holocaust Memorial/Museum - I believe that everyone should visit this memorial/museum. It is incredibly overwhelming and takes an incredibly long time. We were there for 2.5 hours and there is no way that we saw everything. They do not allow photos so you won't find any here.

The Capitol Building - We were able to tour the Capitol which was really neat. I have done this once before but it was in 4th grade so getting a new perspective was nice. If you look at the pictures of the Rotundra painting look at the one with all the ladies. There is one man there...can you find him and do you know who he is. We were able to see/learn that on Inauguration Day there is a Marine helicopter waiting in the back of the capitol to take the departing President away. We were able to see the hall where the new President walks and is inaugurated. We went into the hall of statues where we stood in hot spots. Here you can whisper and someone across the room can hear you clear as day...it was so weird. Our tour guide was great as Zach and I have finished The Lost Symbol and Nicole is about to do so...she was sure to point out all the different features that are in the book for us!

The White House - You can't come to DC and not visit the White House. It is a beautiful home and looks even more impressive at night. Ben and I each got a view that we had never seen simply by walking around the building. Obama wasn't home but we could see a few people watching TV inside. We had attempted to get passes through Olympia Snowe's office to tour the White House but we didn't start the process early enough and were unable to go inside. Until next time I guess....

Five Guys - A great burger joint. They were DELICIOUS and all it was hyped to be by Nicole and Zach!

On Sunday we woke up to the smells of Nicole and Zach making us breakfast. We had egg sandwiches that were DELICIOUS. From the apartment we headed in for another day of exploring the history found here!

Smithsonian Museum of American History - Not quite as exciting as I remember it from my childhood but we did get to see the FIRST American Flag (no pictures allowed), Kermit the Frog and the Ruby Slippers! We toured Abraham Lincoln's life which was impressive as I'm sure you all know. We then headed to the basement to view Julia Child's Kitchen!! Gug can you believe that with all her money and fame she loved her $429 stove so much....We only had about an hour to spend here and so we didn't get to see it all. I would love to come back and devote an entire day to each museum.

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History - Here we spent all of our time in the Gems/Stones/Mining exhibit. Again we only had about an hour to spend in the museum but it was well spent. They have some of the most amazing gems I have ever seen. I swear that I have been to this museum ever year of the Freedom Tour and have gone to the Hope Diamond every time but for some reason I never made it to the gems and stones section. Ben and I really want to get back here in the near future to futher explore this museum in particular.

STUDENTS - Visit this part of the museum, it is so cool to see how the gems grow!! Some of them look like hair, like columns, it's nothing like you would expect and yes even boys will appreciate the beautiful diamonds....they're ENORMOUS!

Washington Monument - This was something I have not done since I was in the 4th grade and I was so happy that we did it today. Rising up 500ft above Washington, DC is so impressive. The layout is beautiful and is not truly displayed in photographs. Inside the walls there are commemorative stones from different cities, states, and people who helped when the funding ran low during construction. They have done a great deal of work to make the monument a beautiful place for visitors. Be sure to get there early for tickets as they are FREE but often gone by 11am.

Memorials - From the Washington Monmument we made our way to the WWII, Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean, Jefferson, and Franklin Roosevelt Memorials and Monuments. All of these are so moving and impressive to view first hand. The Lincoln, site of the MLK I Have A Dream Speech really makes you feel empowered. Looking out over the reflecting pool the Washington Monument and the Capitol truly shows what America stands for. Without question my favorite memorial is the FDR. It is beautiful and spread out with lots of fountains and quotes. Ben also enjoyed this very much!

Marine Corps Memorial - I never really had a grasp for what happened at Iwo Jima until I went on the Freedom Tour and listned as Joel and Phil (the tour directors) read this story. I then watched Flags of Our Fathers which I think everyone should watch before visiting this memorial. STUDENTS it is something that you should watch with your parents permission and company! This is an incredibly powerful memorial once you understand the true magnitude of what occurred.

Pentagon Memorial - We visited the Memorial to those who died at the Pentagon on September 11th. This includes those who were on the plane as well as those who were in the Pentagon. The memorial is incredibly unique and will likely not make sense if I explain it on here but I will try. The benches are in chronological order starting with the youngest victim to the oldest. The benches have the name of the victim on the end and face two directions. They name faces the building if they were killed on the plane, this is so when you look at the name you are looking at the direction the plane came from. Below the bench in the water will list who the victim was traveling with on the plane (they have their own bench as well). The names facing away from the Pentagon are those who were killed in the building so when you are looking at their names you are looking at the building. There is one victim who has a memorial at the Pentagon as well as in NYC this is because they were killed at the World Trade Center but in fact their office was at the Pentagon. It was a beautiful memorial representing each person individually but together as a mass.
-------------
We are now back at the apartment. We made nachos and pulled pork sandwiches to watch the Patriots/Indy game. We have had amazing hosts for the last two days and are sad to leave them but tomorrow we are off to the Shenandoah National Forest for hiking and camping. We are supposed to have great weather for Monday and Tuesday so we should have a great time. We likely won't have internet again until Thursday so we'll catch up with you then.

Love!