Good gracious. Apparently I am enjoying my summer, and enjoying being away from this computer! But this is getting a bit ridiculous, so I just must finish this trip.
Day 5 was yet another full day. We saw so many great things, and didn't even get to see it all. But what we did see? Wow.
This is approaching the Lincoln Memorial. Although part of me would have loved all these people to get out of the way for my picture, they actually give a good perspective of how massive this building is. See the people on the top of the stairs??
President Lincoln, in all his grandeur. The right side of his body is suppose to reflect the relaxed, easy-going man. His left side tense, war-time, stressed.
Again, showing how enormous Lincoln himself is.
"Four score and seven years ago..."
The Gettysburg Address.
Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address
Standing on the side walkway of Lincoln, looking out at the Washington Monument and Capitol Building.
And this is the view of the floor, a picture taken as I fell right after I tripped over that wheelchair while backing up to take a picture. Fortunately that sweet lady in the cute sandals was uninjured.
This is the exact spot where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech in 1963.
Standing on the "Dream" spot.
Next up was the Vietnam War Memorial. Oh, my. To walk along this, everyone silently walking by, looking at the unimaginable collection of names.
This is looking back at the Vietnam War Memorial, shows how long it is.
Next up...Korean War Memorial, dedicated in 1995
Engraved in the ground:
"Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met."
A little hard to see, but there are portraits of the soldiers etched into this wall, and they all were original newspaper photos that the artists made into a collage. Beautiful.
From there, it was a long walk to our next adventure. We saw this lovely, inviting, grassy area and decided to lounge for a bit and eat a snack. While there, the kids made some new friends...
Beth, of course, was in her element!
And Brenna bravely joined in. These squirrels were so funny. They kept eating peanuts until they were full, then they were taking them from the kids and finding places to bury the nuts...but when the kids handed them cashews? They were quite excited to vary their diet! They nibbled those down in a quick hurry. We even had the fun of watching a couple squirrels try to figure out how to eat an M and M!
Next up was one of the most moving parts of our entire trip, the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
The plaza outside this memorial is named for General Eisenhower"
"Dedicated in gratitude to the supreme commander of allied forces in Europe, General Dwight Davide Eisenhower, and the valiant soldiers of all allied armies he led into battle.
Victorious in battle, they brought the third reich to an end, encountered its concentration camps, liberated the survivors and bore witness to the holocaust."
And here's what Eisenhower had to say in regards to the Ohrdruf Concentration Camp, April 15, 1945:
"The things I saw beggar description...the visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering...I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations to 'propaganda'."
And this is a quote from President Jimmy Carter, spoken at the Presentation of the Final Report of the President's Commission on the Holocaust, September 27, 1979:
"Out of our memory...of the holocaust we must forge an unshakable oath with all civilized people that never again will the world stand silent, never again will the world...fail to act in time to prevent this terrible crime of genocide...we must harness the outrage of our own memories to stamp out oppression wherever it exists, we must understand that human rights and human dignity are indivisible."
Those were extraordinarily moving words to read after experiencing what we saw in the 3 hours we were in this museum. Appropriately, there is absolutely no photography allowed in the museum. I couldn't have brought myslelf to take pictures of anything I saw even if it was allowed. If you get to DC, this is a MUST see.
Last on our lengthy tour this day was the White House! I've gotta say, it's a lot of fun to walk along Pennsylvania Avenue, which is closed to all traffic. Parts of it feel like a movie set, with security all over, black SUV's, and the beautiful back-drop of this pretty house:
Just sittin' outside "our" house.
"Young man, what part of 'don't climb the fence' did you not understand??"
Well, valiant effort at a fun picture, but neither could keep a straight face. The security guy is not allowed to be videotaped, so he had to check to make sure we only took a picture. But he was a good sport for humoring us!
The backyard! It's so pretty I really thought it was the front!
Looking down Pennsylvania Avenue. It was fun to walk down the middle of the street!
And the next day:
...back at the airport to begin our journey home. Even though it turned out to be a very long journey home, it was so very worth it. A trip I am so very thankful for, and will hold close many, many memories!
(SO glad to be done blogging this trip!!!!!!!)
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