Day 6: First day in DC... (Part 2)

I made this a separate entry because we took so many pictures! Indulge me as I post a LOT of them!! After got off the bus, we headed to the Lincoln Memorial first.

It really is impossible to grasp the size of this monument without actually going there. Amazing.

Unfortunately the Reflecting Pool had been drained for construction. I was disappointed.

I look forward to going again so I can see it with water!!!

Then we headed the the Vietnam War Memorial. Having been raised by a mother that taught me a lot about the Vietnam War, I was interested in seeing this. In high school, she took me to the traveling Wall, but now I got to see the real thing. It was amazing to me that even though it was just a Wall with names, there is just this... feeling there. Of uncertainty, still trying to understand this war and mourning those that were lost. I didn't talk to Brad much while we were there... I just took it all in and made the camera capture the memories for me...

This little boy was going around and straightening everything. Didn't mean much to him, but I thought it was very sweet.

Then we walked along the Tidal Basin and made our way to the World War II Memorial.

 

 

I like this picture...

He is very good at this... remember Italy?

Then we walked to the Korean War Memorial - one of my favorite memorials...

The statues had a ghostly quality that was really interesting. Even more interesting when we would return a few nights later... very eerie at night.

 

Then we jumped on the bus to begin making our way back to Union Station to get the car and battle traffic home. Before we arrived at our final destination, we made one more stop - The White House! 

Unfortunately, this is as close as you can get...

Do not even get me started on the SUPER frustrating process of trying to arrange a tour. After months of waiting, we were informed a few days before we left for our trip that a main water line had broken in the White House. So, they canceled most tours... including ours. GRRRR. Oh well, we filled our trip with many other great things! We will add the White House to our list to do next time...

Day 6: First day in DC... (Part 1)

We were a little tired the next day (okay I was the tired one) so we opted to start our excursion into DC a little later. That delay plus, a miscommunication on directions resulting in us not finding the train station... meant we got to experience notorious commuter traffic into DC. It.was.miserable. The experience wasn't made any better by my uncontrollable shriek that scared Brad while he was driving. I couldn't help myself... I got so excited when I saw my first glimpse of the Washington Monument peeking over the skyline!

Two and a half hours later, we were FINALLY at Union Station and could jump on our bus. We had a 2-Day pass for the "Hop On/Hop Off" Trolley and we were ready to start using it!! (By the way - if you are ever visiting a major city, these types of buses/trolleys are the way to go. I have now done them in NYC, Chicago and DC. You just can't beat it!) 

Union Station

Our first view of the Capital as we drive by.

Our first stop was the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

This museum had been recommended to us by many, many people. What we didn't know was that we should have gotten the passes for the main exhibit in advance. We were disappointed when we arrived at 11AM and the next available time was 4PM. Bummer. Because of this, the museum is on the TOP of our list whenever we go back. We still watched a movie about the release of some of the Concentration Camps and we went through a fantastic exhibit called Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story. While the target audience for this exhibit is children, the message is still just as poignant. It is told from the perspective a child named Daniel. You get to walk through his pre-war home and neighborhood and as you walk your surroundings change to war times and see how his life changed as a Jewish boy in Germany.

You followed pages in his diary as he was separated his father in the Camp and as he received news that his mother and sister had both been killed at another Camp. You read as he talks about being released from the Camp and trying to figure out life afterwards.

It is a very dark period of world history. It is heart-breaking, gut-wrenching and shameful. And yet, it is something everyone should know about.

After making our way through Daniel's life story, we walked over to the Washington Monument. This is when you KNOW you are in DC! All the movies and TV shows you see this in... and we were in front of it!!

As we walked towards our next bus stop, we stopped for a picture. As you can see, Brad cooperated wonderfully... 

As we waited for our bus, we grabbed some lunch from a street vendor. ONLY on vacation would I be eating a hot dog at a bus stop! 

Once we were on the bus, we headed to one of the stops I had been looking forward to since we started planning this trip... the War Memorials and Lincoln Memorial!

Day 5: Mount Vernon

Over dinner the night before, we had consulted with Brad's Uncle Bob and determined that in order to make the departure time for our tour, we would need to leave their house by 6:30AM. Yuck. But, you do what you have to do! We had a full day of sightseeing ahead of us because we were heading to Mount Vernon! Not only would be we be going to see Washington's estate, but we would getting there by a boat cruising the historic Potomac River. 

Unfortunately, a cold front had come in and it was a chilly 39 degrees when we left the house. Thankfully we had bought a jacket for me at Busch Gardens. It wasn't heavy, but it would get me by. However, that did mean that our time on the deck of the boat was very limited. Other than popping out for a picture occasionally, we opted to stay inside where it was warm.

Staying warm inside.

Mt Vernon first becomes visible.

After a 1.5 hour boat ride, we arrived the estate. We were given our tickets and a time to be back on the boat. We made our way up the hill and arrived at the mansion.

We took a tour of the house. While it had some elaborate things for its time, it could be considered a rather modest home in our time.

Then we went the backyard to see the famous view of the Potomac River. It was pretty. I wish it had been a warmer and clearer day so we could see more...but it was still very nice. I pictured all the garden parties they must have had out there.

We visited the tomb of George and Martha.

Honestly, what was more interesting about this day, was the man behind it all ... General George Washington. He was an innovative thinker and inventor. In everything we read about him, he considered himself a farmer before any other profession.

16-sided Barn

After we grabbed some lunch in the visitors center (at a Pizza Hut!), we slowly made our way back to the boat dock. The surroundings there were beautiful!!

Loved the Dogwoods!

 

As we cruised back down the Potomac, the sky cleared a bit so we could enjoy the outside some and see the sights.

Part of Alexandria, VA.

The Pentagon

Washington Monument

While were out there, a helicopter flew right over us. As we looked up we saw "United States of America" and the Presidential Seal on it! I waved... just because. :o) We know it wasn't the POTUS because the helicopter was alone, but it was still cool!!

Once back on shore we drove back to the Hughes home to celebrate Aunt Cindy's birthday! All of Brad's cousins, their spouses and kids came over to enjoy presents, cake and ice cream. It was the first time I had met them and it was SO fun!! I just feel in love with all of them and really enjoyed our time.