Summer's been over for a whole month already, but I needed to re-live our memory-making summer road trip before too much time has gone by. We are full into fall at the store, and even have plans for Christmas, but I need to slow down a bit and remember what a special trip we took just a few weeks ago. Still need to get pictures printed off!
After two days of driving, we arrived at our nation's capital around supper time. We got checked into our hotel that was just a block away from the Mall, and headed straight to the center of the city. As the sun set, and the lights came on, my kids got to experience for the first time the wonder, beauty and awe of this great city. The monuments they had only seen on TV, were in real life!
The calm and quietness of the Mall at night was beautiful. It whetted our appetites to experience what were inside all these historical buildings. We spent the next four days pounding the pavement and getting a brain-full of beauty and history!
Thank goodness our kids are big! I did not envy the families that were pushing strollers. Washington D.C. has so much to experience, and older kids can appreciate the history. It brings to life everything they've studied through the years, and really fills in the gaps. In the summer most of the buildings are open until 7:30, and we took advantage of every waking hour. Breakfast and lunch were eaten on the run, and supper was late so we could see all that we wanted to in 4 days. Here's a quick re-cap:
Unfortunately, the reflecting pool was devoid of water. It is an election year, and the Mall was under construction. Many other buildings had scaffolding, and were being refreshed for their publicity, come November. It was kind of a bummer, but we were still able to appreciate all the monuments.
The World War 2 monument was beautiful. The fountains, combined with pillars of each of the states surrounding it was quite impressive. Big Boy has quite an eye for photography, and Happy Girl had just purchased her first camera, so LOTS of pictures were taken, from every possible angle. Don't worry...I will not share them all with you!
Mr. Freckles thought the statue of Abraham Lincoln would be bigger. From this view, it would have been nice to have some water in the reflecting pond!
My favorite memorial was the Korean War Memorial. The life-size bronze statues combined with the live ferns and underbrush, made me feel like I was trudging through the forest with the soldiers. The stone wall where their names were engraved was etched with faces that seemed to be looking out, looking back at history.
The Vietnam Memorial Wall was somber. So many names...the high cost of war.
Jefferson's Monument is a hike, but has a great view once you get there. Happy Girl said this was her favorite one.
Later in our trip, we got the opportunity to get to know this great President better, as we visited his home at Monticello.
Mr. Fix-it is our travel planner, and he had planned ahead and gotten us into a White House tour. It was so strange to actually be inside the building where the President and his family live. I've been to D.C. before, but this was a new experience for me!
Yes, it was being worked on, of course! Didn't get many up-close pic's of the White House, since security is so tight. I loved seeing the beautiful interiors, and noticed especially the fresh floral arrangements throughout. I found out there are three full-time florists who work for the White House! What a job!
To experience all aspects of our government, we took a tour through the Federal Bureau of Engraving and got to see money being printed!
Throughout the city, I was noticing these beautiful flowering trees that were in full bloom. Since we were there in mid-August all the plantings and florals were full and at their peak. There was definitely a color scheme of reds/hot pinks that continued throughout. I later found out these trees are Crepe Myrtle. Don't know if they are Minnesota zoned.
Mr. Fix-it arranged for us to get a guided tour througout the Capital, which was very informative and interesting, since I had never been there before, either! In true "mom" fashion, I arranged for everyone to wear red, white, and blue, so we could snap our Christmas photo outside of the Capital! ;)
We had heard that the Library of Congress, which is connected to the Capital was quite memorable. Wow! The architecture and beauty of this building rivals European grandeur!
We also went to the National Archives and saw the Declaration of Independence. Of course the kids loved it, since National Treasure is one of their favorite movies! I wished we had more time to explore this building, but it was getting to the end of the day, and the bodies and minds were getting tired!
Of course, we all enjoyed the many different Smithsonian buildings. We just scratched the surface of the bounties that could be experienced there. The Museum of American History is a favorite. Happy Girl and I spent quite a bit of time looking at the First Ladies' Inauguration dresses and the Presidential China. Because my kids have been raised with "old stuff" around them all the time, we all appreciate the everyday history items that we saw here. We spent some time in the Natural History museum, looking at underwater beauty. The boys spent some time at the Air and Space Museum, while Happy Girl and I went to the Sculpture Garden and National Gallery, to experience some art.
Yes, that last picture is my favorite of the whole trip! Family trips just bring out the best in us, don't they? Are you tired yet? I am. But our 4 days aren't complete yet! The last two destinations end on a somber note.
The Holocaust Museum is relatively new to D.C. Because I visited Auschwitz while I was in college and knew the memories it had for me, I wanted my kids to experience this important time in history. We spent many hours here, immersing ourselves in how the human condition can turn to evil. Since I studied speech/communication in college, I was particularly interested in how the Nazi's used 12 years of propaganda to persuade the German people to their ideals, and eventually vote Hitler into their democratic society.
It was sobering for all to see how human beings were stripped of their belongings, their children, and their lives.
Our trip to the nation's Capital culminated with observing the sacrifice that has been paid for our freedom.
We wandered though paths of headstones and read names and dates, we observed the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier, we heard a marching band in the distance, and taps being played, and then while walking out we heard the clip-clop of horse's feet. A regal ending to our experience in this great city.
