Highlights: Historical sites*****
Washington D.C.
Sept. 9-13
90 miles and 3 hours from our last stop
Bob & Jenny's Cross Country Adventure
Days 26-30
Welcome to
Welcome to Washington D.C. We learned very early to put the keys away and hop on the Subway. Not only was the traffic horrific, but there was no place to park in the city!
Washington D.C. is a place where history comes to life. It is so powerful that an emotional experience is seamingly a mundane feeling. Visiting all the historical sites rekindled our love and appreciation for our forefathers and their wisdom in the commencement of this great nation of ours. We also saw many exhibits that were dedicated to the many people who have effected us in many ways. Almost all exhibits and monuments are free, all you have to do is get there. We decided to walk it since we like the exercise, but there are many ways to get around like the Gray Line tours, the Circulator and of course using the Subway is a must getting into the city.
How did they decide where to put the first capitol? The First Congress wanted to make it separate from any state so that no state would have any advantage. The swampy site along the Potomac where DC is now was chosen.
National Archives building. This is where the Declaration of Independance as well as the many other important docs,patents, and copyrights reside.
The subway system is gygantic which goes many floors under the city. This escalator was probably a football length long vertically and needless to say, Jenny did not like it and rode the elevator.
Bob waiting for the White House tour. Since we wanted to go to Mt Vernon after the tour, we decided to drive into the city. To make a long story short, Bob had to run 3 miles after finding a place to park to make it back in time.
This is where Abraham Lincoln died after his assasination across from the Ford's Theatre.
Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. Entombed here are soldiers from WW I, WW II and the Korean war. Recently they removed the soldier from the VietNam war because they were able to identify him through DNA tests
This is the WW II memorial which opened in 2004. The lit pillars in the background which are 17 feet in height are part of the 56 that represent soldiers from each state as well as territories during the wars. The 43 foot arches at the south and north represent the Pacific and Atlantic theaters.
Meet Tai Shan who was born on July 7, 2005. Unfortunately, according to the agreement the zoo has with China, they are required to send back any offspring to China upon reaching the age of 4.
Lincoln Memorial at dusk.
Inside the memorial is the statue of Abraham Lincoln which is 19 feet tall. In sculpting the statue, Daniel Chester French used plaster casts of Lincoln's hands and face, made five years before the president's death. Above the statue is the inscription "In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever."
Washington's Monument is the tallest landmark in Washington. If you go to DC, you will notice there are no buildings that are very tall. This is because of the law stating that no building will be any taller than the monument.
This is the interior of the Library of Congress. It is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books. Its collections include more than 32 million catalogued books and other print materials in 470 languages. We were fortunate to see Thomas Jefferson's private collection which had 25,000 volumes and a Gutenburg Bible which was printed around 1452.
Thomas Jefferson's Memorial includes a bronze statue that is 19 feet tall and on the four corners of the building are famous inscriptions of his writings-. the most famous being a portion of the Declaration of Independance which was written more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The war lasted 7 years after that. Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in getting the French to be our Allies during the revolutionary war because it is said that he had 3 things going for him to make him connect with the French. One- HE WAS A GREAT DANCER, two, he spoke fluent French and three- he smelled good ( I guess he took a bath more often than his contemporaries and used perfume).
We were in DC on 9/11, so all the flags were at half staff.
On the right is the Holocaust Exhibit which was an incredibly moving experience. This is a must see exhibit which will stir every emotion in your being and give you a new understanding of what the Jews went through as well as a new appreciation for freedom that we often take for granted.
George Washington's Mt Vernon was in his family for over 100 years before he took it over. He died here after serving the country only two years after returning to Mt Vernon. Many people wanted George W to continue on as King after his second term of President was over, but he declined because he said that this new government needs to be governed by the people and by stepping down, he set a precident. Once again, we stood in awe as to the fortitude of these men who founded our nation. He died in 1799 with a throat infection called quinsy that turned into acute laryngitis and pneumonia
George Washington planted this tree in 1775. Notice the lightning rod going up.
We were lucky enough to visit Mt Vernon on a day that they had a fair and everyone was dressed in period costumes.
This is the tomb that houses all of the Washington family in his time period.
We are standing in front of the original Smithsonian Museum. James Smithson, an Englishman, bequest $508,318 to the United States in 1829 for the purpose of "increasing and the diffussion of knowledge" even though he had never been to the US. He is now buried in front of this museum.
