June 5 - Washington DC Part 2

Yesterday was our busiest day yet - we left the house around 7am and didn't arrive back at the Mansours' in Virginia until 11pm. 

We walked all around DC and visited tons of memorials and monuments. 

Here is the Jefferson Memorial across from the tidal basin. We visited this at night. 

 This is the newest memorial at the National Mall - a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. On the right, the (breaking) mountain symbolizes white supremacy, which was driven through by MLK.

 
This memorial had lots of quotes from MLK throughout.

 "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."

 World War I memorial. So thankful for Mr. Chase - our own tour guide! We've all been constantly impressed with his knowledge of all of this monuments.

 

Next we visited the Korean War Memorial. 

 

On the wall, there were engraved portraits of the people who died. 

 

Lincoln Memorial - also above. And yes, we are true children of the 21st century.

 

There have been many Asian tourists - photobombing them is fun.

The Washington Monument, seen from the Jefferson Memorial across the reflecting pool.

 Mr. Chase - speedwalking dictionary.

 
 Korean War Memorial.

  

Below: a tribute to women who assisted in the war.

 We did a lot of walking between the memorials, but thankfully it was a beautiful day and there was gorgeous scenery.

 

World War II Memorial.

 

 Group shot by the fountain - taken by the self-timer.

 

 Walking to the Washington Monument.

 

Our first glimpse of the White House!

 Group shot in front of the Washington Monument - it was pretty much a fail but it's the thought that counts.

View of the capitol from the Washington Monument.

 On the way to the White House. 

The White House!

Walking through DC

 

This trip has consisted largely of jaywalking, as evidenced in this picture. 

We were supposed to have lunch here, but it was being renovated. 

The National Archives. This was pretty neat - we got to see the original Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Declaration of the Independence. We also saw one of the original Magna Cartas - there are only 4 remaining, and it was drawn up in 1215. 

After the National Archives, we visited the Holocaust Museum. No pictures were allowed there, but we were there for over 2 1/2 hours. It was incredibly eye-opening and we got to see a lot here. It was definitely one of the most significant parts of the day.

Taking a break from all the walking - I think we all felt like Brandon at this point.

Before dinner, we had 2 1/2 hours to browse the various Smithsonian museums. This is the Natural History Museum. Others also went to the Air and Space Museum, the American History Museum, the Art Gallery, and many more. 

Union Station - dinner and souvenirs. 

 After dinner, we walked to the Jefferson Memorial - here is the Washington Monument as seen across the tidal basin. 

 Next, we walked over to the FDR Memorial. We found various ways to entertain ourselves at this time of day.

That's all for today! I'm writing this in the car, and we are on our way to Pennsylvania. Today we will be seeing Gettysburg and Amish country and then arrive at our new billets' houses.