Washington D.C.---- August 17, 2008 (Day 2)

Our hotel room had a very nice king size bed that we knew all four of us would end up in. It started out with the girls on the floor, but it was too cold for the girls on the floor so both of them ended up in the bed at some point during the night.

Wakey, wakey!

We knew that we had a day of walking ahead of us, but we were prepared. We had snacks, water, and I was wearing my tacky, I mean, practical, tennis shoes. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for me in this post because we saw so much, and didn't say much (mostly because I was out of breath). We walked from one end of the National Mall to the other. Then we started walking towards all the Smithsonian Museums and the Capital. Actually, we didn't walk all the way to the Capital Building, but we did get close enough to take pictures. It was enough for us; we didn't have the energy to walk all the way down there just so we could get a closer picture. Oh, I forgot to mention that it was HOT!!! Notice how I capitalized each of those letters? It's for emphasis. Yah, it really was that HOT!

Washington Monument

Just Starting Out---Oh goodie, Shaylynn is already grouchy!

I kept waiting for Jenny to come running out of the pond (Forrest Gump)

WWII Memorial

Trying to peek through to the fountain.

See, the view is better on this side!

Home, Sweet Home!

Our Current Home

Lincoln Memorial

Miriam was the only one willing to get in this picture with Doug. Well, I would have, but someone had to take the picture.

Korean War Veterans Memorial

One of the few complete family pictures from our trip.

I was amazed at the detailing on these statues. Look at the holes in the tarp at the bottom. It's amazing how realistic they were able to make these!

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

I don't like taking pictures in front of these types of things because I don't feel like I should smile, but yet, if you don't smile you look like you're in a bad mood. In this picture I went for a serious look, but it came out looking more like a scowl.

White House

Doug did a good job not getting the other bazillion people around us in our picture.

Break Time!

After walking the National Mall we sat down and took a much needed break. Shaylynn made herself comfortable while I studied the map to see where we wanted to go next.

Air and Space Museum

This place was kind of a disappointment to us. It was packed with people so we really didn't get to read about much, but we got some pictures to prove we went.

The Capital Building

See, we got a good enough shot from here!

Miriam's Picture Taking Talent

Shaylynn's Fit Over Not Being Able to Take a Picture

Happy Because We're Heading For The Car (I love the hand holding!)

Doug and I really wanted to see the Holocaust Museum, but didn't want to take the girls inside. We had just decided to take them anyway when my brother and his family drove by. They had come to find us so Doug and I could go in and they could keep the girls. We were so grateful for them taking the time to do such a kindly deed. We had to hurry since they needed to be to their church meetings in two hours, but it was still an amazing experience.

Thanks to Doug we were able to get in to the tour just about to go up; otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see it that day because the next available tour wasn't for another hour and a half. But, because Doug asked, and because I'm a public school teacher (or at least I'm certified), they let us go. I guess if you're an employee of the government you get to have special privileges there. I would have just left because it said military personnel on the sign, but Doug put on his puppy dog eyes and used a disappointed voice, and the lady at the desk took pity on us and found a way we could go. Nice one Doug! It's nice to know it's not just me he uses that trick on.

We saw horrific things, but one of the two things that really stand out in my memory was the wall of pictures. It was a large room filled with pictures of Jewish people living their lives. They were happy pictures with family members, weddings, etc. The room was covered on all sides with these pictures. There were spaces between the wall and the floor and the pictures went from one level to the next. It was heartbreaking, but it was a great way to emphasize that the death toll of the Jews isn't just a number; these were people with lives that were forever shattered.

One other thing that grabbed my attention was a little plaque that told of how Denmark, when they realized the Germans weren't going to keep their promise to not harm their country's Jews, smuggled them out of the country. They were able to save all of their Jewish population except for about 55. Maybe it's because my brother served a mission in Denmark, but I have a fascination with that country that I just can't explain. I hope someday Daniel will take me for a visit.

After a VERY long day full of LOTS of walking, we returned to our hotel room. We changed and headed up, yes, I said up, to the pool. The pool was located on the roof of the hotel. It felt good to get in the cool water and soak for a little while, that is until a large group of people got in and started splashing like crazy. We were only in for about an hour, but it was enough to cool off.


We had leftover pizza for dinner and then headed to my brother's place for a visit. I'm sure we overstayed our welcome, but the girls had a great time playing and we enjoyed visiting. I've only seen my brother a few times since we moved here. His wife is great about stopping by when she's on her way to Jersey, but I miss seeing my brother. It was a great chance to catch up.

It was then off to bed at the hotel for some shut eye and then a visit to the National Zoo and a long drive home after that.