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D.C. Update #2

Sunday, July 23, 2006

So after that first, eventful day, how could it possibly get any better? Let the onslaught of tourism begin!

Friday....
We begin Friday with the Metro tip to the Arlington Cemetary station, where we exit and proceed to...Arlington National Cemetary. Didn't see that one coming, did ya! We purchase our tour tickets for the day and begin with our tour of Arlington Cemetary. If you can use the word "impressive" to describe a cemetary, this place is really impressive. The atmosphere, the layout, the stories, the lives...it's really breath-taking when you soak it all in. JFK's gravesite and the eternal flame, Thurgood Marshall's gravesite (first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice), graves of thousands and thousands and thousands of U.S. soldiers from every single war the U.S. has been involved in. Then you get to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.....wow. I actually got to see the last part of the changing of the guards here, and it was more than amazing. Look up some info on these guys if you get a chance. After we left the cemetary, we proceeded with our tour of the monuments and memorials around D.C. The Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, World War II Memorial, Washington Monument, etc. This is stuff you just gotta see before you die, trust me.

Saturday....
Saturday was Smithsonian day. We began by spending just a little time at the National Museum of the American Indian. We then proceeded to the National Air and Space Museum. Lots of cool aeronautical stuff here. We saw a planetarium show, and I got to do a flight simulator. Those fighter plane things take a little practice. Next was the Museum of Natural History. This is where the dinosaur and other prehistoric animal bones are. Also exhibits with animals around the world, an insect zoo, other bones exhibits, and gems & minerals exhibits. Pretty nifty little place. Back towards the hotel for dinner and rest time....

Sunday....
Wow, it's already Sunday...I'm tired. Back towards the Smithsonian area we go, and my first stop for the day is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Besides all the main monuments and war memorials that you HAVE to see in D.C., this was something at the top of my "want to do" list. Why do other people's persecution intrigue us so? It was very touching, moving, sad, depressing....and in the end, almost happy. It's seriously impossible to imagine how a human being could do the things that the Nazis did. Words can even describe....inhumane, disgusting, atrocious, barbaric, vulgar, heartless, brutal, wicked....even these don't come close. But enough of that.....it was a really cool place. Next stop, National Archives. Another place that you have to see before you die. Got to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, some of the Louisiana Purchase, and other stuff. Very, very, very cool to see. We leave there and walk around a bit more, and head over a few blocks and end up going to the International Spy Museum. Another cool little place that has gotten very popular amongst tourists. Anything and everything you'd want to know about the spy life, how things happen in that kinda world, and espionage in general. We leave here, grab a bite to eat....and finally, back to the hotel for the evening.

There you have it....3 days in one post....you should feel privileged. I'm sure there can be one more update before heading back to The Great State, otherwise known as Texas.

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