Friday, September 27, 2013

Day 5 (Sun), Day 6 (Mon.) (Day 7) (Tues) Vacation

I've decided to squeeze the last 3 days of our vacation into one post.  To be perfectly honest by this time we were all a bit weary and I will honestly admit that I was a bit homesick.  We seemed less busy on these days but were still busy sun up to well past sundown.

Day 5 found us up and early and off to Arlington National Cemetery.  I'm not going to lie we would have enjoyed it a whole lot more if it had not reached 103 degrees with heat index while we were there.    We were just wilted by the time we returned to the hotel mid afternoon.  

It was worth every bit of sweat dripped to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony in person at the Tomb of the Unknown.  These young men give up so much to perform this honorable duty and they perform their duties to perfection.  It brings a lump to your throat and a tear to your eye to see their duties performed with such precision.  I would not have missed it for anything.   

Just a fraction of the tombstones in this cemetery.
This is the eternal flame at the graveside of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis.
Bill snapped a photo of the propane tanks that keep the flame lit.
Beautiful garden up by Arlington House at the top of the hill.
That same evening Bill found out the Nationals were still in town for one last game before we left so off to National Park we went to watch them play the NY Mets.  The ball park was the nicest one I've ever been to and I've been to many.  Nice thick cushioned seats.  Air conditioned hallways.   My one question - when did they start having cheerleaders at baseball games?  I was also surprised by the price of Event Parking for this game - $35.  WOW!  Our taxi ride both ways total was less.

Day 6 started out with Bill having a serious headache.  We took the morning to stay at the hotel and let him relax so it would not turn into a full blown migraine.  Smart move as by noon time he was ready to go again.  We took a short walk down the street (6 blocks) and saw the Spy Musuem. 

 This was a fun little museum.    First thing you do in a little room is pick a cover for yourself and memorize the details. Spent my time in there looking at the Argo exhibit and then took about 15 seconds to memorize my cover.
  
Appears I might have some skills here as about 30 minutes later you go to a screen where they ask you some questions about your cover story before your can cross the border.  I was 100% correct with my 15 second memorization.  Pretty good considering I was watching several others look at the photo they took on their phones to answer their questions.  It really was interesting to see all the different things used in espionage.  

I loved the Lipstick Pistol.  What woman wouldn't want one of these for protection.


I even found this framed piece of cross-stitch in the exhibit on women in espionage.
The day ended with our usual evening stroll around the White House.  Here we saw our first protest of the trip.
Day 7 and our last full day of vacation started with a tour of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving.  It was a fun little tour.  We enjoyed seeing the $1 million on exhibit.  It was fun seeing how money is printed but another one of those tours where no photos were allowed on the actual tour.  

After we finished here as the Holocaust Museum was still next door we took the opportunity to go through it again.  This time we had the place almost entirely to ourselves and were able to really experience the exhibits.  My son is disabled and it really hit me when seeing the part of the exhibit where children and adults with disabilities were the first to be executed.  I still feel the shoe exhibit and the personal items left behind exhibit will stick with me forever.

After these two stops we once again went back to the Lincoln Memorial and War Memorials.  We took the time to listen to the Park Ranger tours offered and found it well worth our time.  This time we also walked around the back side of the Lincoln Memorial and it offered some spectacular views.

This is on the South side standing at the back of the memorial looking toward the WA Monument and the US Capitol.
This is looking off the backside of the memorial toward Arlington National Cemetery.

This picture is also taken from the back of the memorial looking at the Air Force Memorial.
We finished our day and trip with one last stroll around the White House.  We had a stroke of luck and ended up being there when Marine 1 came to take the President to Air Force One for his trip to Sweden.  I actually got video of this but I can't get video to load right now.  I will try again later to share this with you. 

It was the most wonderful vacation ever.  There were some places we still did not have time to see but it was definitely time to come home.  You know the saying "THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME".

2 comments:

  1. Lorrie, I followed your travelling reports with great interest. It was wonderful to read about all your visits and sights and to see all the great pictures. It's always great to accompany other bloggers during their trips. Thanks for sharing!!!

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  2. A wonderful vacation for you all! But I hear you about coming home. It's the best place to be :)

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