Washington DC Day

March 8: Eric and I drove from our "home" in Virginia to Washington DC. We knew we had only a day, and that we wouldn't be able to get to all the sites in that time. We created our priority list. Eric wanted to see Arlington Cemetary and I wanted to see the Korean Memorial.  We were unfamiliar with the layout of the city but quickly saw how close they are in proximity.

One word sums up our time: emotion. There was a lot of emotion. 

We began our journey in Arlington.  I have seen the photos for years. The same ones we've all seen.  As we made our way, I was overcome with emotion. I didn't expect to feel such strong emotion for a place I've never been.

We were able to arrive to the tomb of the unknowns minutes before the changing of the guard. It was a reverent experience to see the soldier going back and forth and then hear the click of the heals at each end. The greatest moment of pride and reverence struck when the soldiers soluted the tomb of the unknowns. It struck the heart strings, for sure.

 

We also stopped at the tomb markers of the Challenger and Colombia disasters. Both explosions were such shocking moments in our history. We paid our respects to those explorers.

Having never understood the layout of Washington DC, I was surprised when I realized how close the Pentagon is from the White House. The memory of 9/11 is never far from any American's mind, even all these years later. When I stood on the mountain near the tomb of the unknown, the view of the city was striking...and then there was the realization of the proximity of the two famous buildings.

After spending time in Arlington, we crossed back over the bridge to visit some other famous monuments: Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam and Korean memorials, and Martin Luther memorial. I was dumbfounded by their size. More than that, I was in awe of how connected I felt to history...the history I didn't realize I was so familiar with.

As the afternoon grew into evening we made our way to our vehicle which was parked on the other side of twon. We traveled via the Trolley Tours, which I highly recommend. The guides are clever and witty.  We were unable to go to the White House but did pass it on the way back to our car. I took a few pictures as we passed. There were several motor cycle cops on the street corners waiting, resting, relaxing, evaluating. The guide mentioned that when they are like this, it usually means a motorcade will be coming through soon. When I looked back at my photos, I noticed that in front of the White House, there's a line of cars preparing to leave.  When we left our parking not long afterwards, the roads were closed off as the motorcade was close to passing. We didn't have time to stop and wait (and wave) but it was pretty cool to see.

We enjoyed a very nice dinner with Eric's Uncle Dan and Aunt Peggy. We briefly talked with his cousin and met their new baby boy, Joseph.
I can safely say that I will be returning to our nation's capital in the near future. I will spend more than a few hours touring and visiting the monuments. The emotions of the day were draining and as we left the city (at midnight), I was ready to face the world of the living and not so much the world of memorials and past lives in history. The rest of my photos are found here.
It brought back to me the scene from Dead Poets Society: Carpe diem. Cease the day.