Washington – July 2010

 

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Washington, D.C.  We’ve arrived and are ready to take on the sights and sounds of the nation’s capital!

 

One of our first stops was a visit to historic DSC_0229Georgetown University. Founded in 1789, Georgetown University is one of the nation's oldest universities with one of its most notable alumni being former President Clinton. We went inside one of the DSC_0197classrooms.  It  was a step back in time -- small scale and finely carved furniture. Can you spell “ivy league”? 

 

We also took in a baseball game – Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves. We missed seeing rookie Stephen Strasburg who was out IMG_0009with an injury. This new ball player struck out 14 in his debut game.  It would have been good to see him – the game was a little uneventful.   Washington won.  Nonetheless, it was a nice evening to spend in the Nationals ballpark.  Go Nats Go!

 

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Commemorating the 1945 invasion and takeover of the Pacific Island  of Iwo Jima, this familiar memorial is located near Arlington. A symbol of the war in the Pacific, the figure towers 32 ft in height and is an imposing presence over mere mortals like Austin!

 

One of the most haunting war memorials we’ve seen, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, with DSC_0688their larger than life statues, represent a squad on patrol.  Dressed in full combat gear, each one carries different equipment as they cross the terrain. Seeing these statues in action makes the war effort seem more real than the stories shared on the front pages of the newspapers.

DSC_0002Wrapping up the reminders of war, we toured Arlington cemetery. Rows of headstones line the 600 acre cemetery.  Not surprisingly, the Kennedy clan have their own separate area of the cemetery with a stunning view overlooking capital hill.

 

The National Air and Space Museum houses DSC_0277the Wright Brother’s aeroplane.  Orville, Wilbur and their magnificent flying machine made aviation history as  the Wright Flyer is recognized as the first aeroplane to fly successfully, taking flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903.  The plane seems quite flimsy – it’s hard to believe they got it to off the ground! This museum also had the Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis and the Apollo 11 capsule which went to the moon!   

 

The Smithsonian’s  American History Museum houses a range of artefacts including the top hat Abraham Lincoln wore the night he was assassinated, a collection of rare Stradavari violins, the Kermit the frog puppet, and  Dorothy’s infamous ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz!!  Each representing their own unique piece of history, we could have spent a week in this museum alone.  Here’s a DSC_0579picture of Julia Child’s kitchen. It reminded me of an old farm house kitchen.   Seeing this place reminds me of one of the great meals we had while we were in Washington.  We went to an Italian restaurant Carrabba … everything was made from scratch daily.  Austin, the adventurer, ordered the standard spaghetti and meatballs while we ordered the lobster ravioli and a glass of wine.  Bon appetit!

We also toured the Natural History Museum which was like being on the movie set for Night at the Museum.  This elephant  seems to charge across the rotunda to greet visitors!  This museum also has a life size model of a blue whale and, the largest blue diamond in the world, the infamous Hope Diamond is on display … a whooping 45 carat stone!

One of the last days in Washington, Austin and Shannon toured the International Spy Museum while I returned to the National Portrait Gallery. I took in the Norman Rockwell exhibit, while the boys put their detective skills to the test to solve a mystery carefully crafted by the retired CIA member who came up with the idea to open up the museum in the first place. The spy museum, which didn’t even make the list of attractions tourists should see, came highly recommended by a few locals who said it was not to be missed. DSC_0178Austin thought this was the highlight of his vacation. That and a trip to the Aston Martin dealership.  Here’s Austin beside one of his dream cars ….  I wonder how many people could be smuggled under the hood of this vehicle???

 

DSC_0215The week flew by!Washington, D.C. is a place I would like to visit again in the future.  There’s so many things to see and do. It’s easy to be a tourist there … many  activities are located close to capital hill and are within walking distance.  Until next time …

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