I'm in Washington DC this week, but I wanted to send home an update! Mom and I are in DC for the week and we have never been before! We took the opportunity to see as much as we could!
There is so much history here in the city. You have the White House, Smithsonian, US Capital building and all the embassies. Then there are all the places you don't necessarily think of or all of the monuments and memorials.
Our first stop in the city is our Hotel. We are staying at The Willard. Its known as the Presidents hotel, because all of the presidents have either held a function here or stayed here. Lincoln stayed here for a week. Martin Luther King Jr. put the finishing touches on the "I have dream" speech in this hotel and Many other moments. The history behind the hotel alone is awesome but then you see it.
We don't spend a lot of time here in the hotel because there is so much to do and see here in the city.
One of our first stops was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. It was the Washington National Cathedral Not only is it one of the biggest Cathedral's in the world, but the details that go into making it. Beauty is on the inside and out of this building. One of the coolest parts of the cathedral, in my opinion is that it never stops growing. All of the stain glass windows tell a story. As culture changes and as events in the world happen, the cathedral is updated to represent that. One of the stones on the ceiling was shaped like the moon with "footsteps in the sand" carved in. You wouldn't realize it unless someone lets you know its there, so its not gaudy or random. It just works. Also, one of the newest windows was story (tastefully) of 9-11 in stein glass. It was just beautiful.
My personal favorite part was how the light coming through the window seemed to paint the walls. The photos do NOT do it justice, But I did my best.
Another stop on our list (and i swear this wasn't a super sad and quiet vacation) was to the Arlington National Cemetery. My mom wanted to stop and see President Kennedy's gravesite and the eternal flame. We made it a point to visit the Tomb of the Unknown and watch the changing or the guard ceremony. It was one of the most impressive things and was such a beautiful ceremony. We also watched a middle school become a part of the ceremony by helping place a new wreath of flowers at the tomb. The CUTEST thing I saw was when the soldier was telling the little kids in his most stern and quiet voice exactly every move they had to make (and the kids looked terrified they would mess up) The guard leaned down and helped the middle schooler fix his tie. It was adorable and sweet. I didn't take a lot of photos or any video during the ceremony because honestly my jaw was on the ground and I was mesmerized. But I did get a few.
We took the time to just walk through the cemetery as well. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place (even with the 4 funerals that we saw in the 2 hours we were there).
For the rest of our trip we did the usual stops. The Smithsonian, where I got to see Kermit!
The original Flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner. Well, this isn't it.. This is the memorial. The real one was behind this wall in very dim light. You aren't allowed to photograph it. They are trying to preserve the flag as best they can so everything was very minimal and there was no flash photography allowed.
The Lincoln Memorial.. and the Washington Memorial are hard to miss.
This was the way the setting sun was hitting the steps to the Lincoln Memorial. I just thought it looked cool.
Tomorrow night we are doing the "Monuments by Moonlight" tour which will give a completely different perspective of the city. I will have tons more photos when I get home. Until then..
Greeting from Washington DC!
*LOVE*
