Museums & Memorials

June 7th
Vacation Post #4

Holocaust Museum

We began our Saturday with a visit to the Holocaust Museum. It was not an easy museum to visit, and I wondered if it would be too much for Aaron, emotionally. The museum did not gloss over the atrocities of this time in history. However, the stories and descriptions were presented with great respect and honor. Aaron and the rest of us handled it just fine. We waited a few minutes in the security line and then received immediate entry passes, thanks to Derek's job as an active duty policeman. (Way to spot that on a sign, Braylen!)

We were not allowed to take any pictures inside the museum, but we did manage to take a picture of the building as we left. I am glad we took the time to visit this museum. I think I will always remember the tall glass walls filled with pictures of the victims and the room with their shoes piled together.

For lunch we went to the cafe at the Holocaust Museum. It was a separate building with yet another airport-like security line. At a cafe? Anyway, all of the items on the menu were Kosher. We had quite the fun time trying to find something to eat. :) In fact, that is one area I did NOT plan well for our trip--food. Restaurants around the National Mall are nonexistent. At least, we didn't find any. So when one of our attractions included a cafe, we ate lunch there!

After lunch we walked to the National Mall to visit the rest of the memorials we didn't get a chance to see on our first evening in DC.

We did a LOT of walking!

Braylen took this photo of the White House on our way to our first memorial of the day.

With this being a Saturday, it was much more crowded at the memorials than it was Wednesday evening. My favorite group of people to watch were veterans. We watched one group of veterans from New Jersey and one group from Florida visit the various memorials. At the WWII Memorial the buses lined up to unload the veterans from Florida. They passed through a flag-lined path set up by Patriot Riders. People applauded them as they made their way into the memorial. It was an emotional scene.

Imagine if your job description said, "Save the World."
(That is what we saw on the back of their t-shirts.)

Next we visited the Korean War Memorial.

A cool fountain!
The people in red t-shirts are veterans from New Jersey. The people in blue t-shirts are their sponsors.

Derek didn't like the larger-than-life statues at this memorial, but I think they're neat. Each one is different. We filed through the memorial and I liked watching the veterans pose for pictures. Then we made our way to one of the most popular sites in Washington, DC--the Lincoln Memorial.

Our three cuties :)

Kaleb said this was his dream come true. Yay! :)

Braylen took this great picture. You can't even see the crowds.

Braylen taking a picture of the reflecting pool.
(Not of the girl!)

I think it turned out pretty great!

By now we were all feeling pretty hot and tired. My fever was back, so I took more Advil. We bought 5 popsicles from a vendor and found a bench in the shade. It felt good to rest for a bit. :)

Next we visited the Vietnam Wall. We all thought it would be bigger and taller than it is. We saw some people make rubbings of names while others left small mementos.

Approaching the Vietnam Wall

There are other memorials we did not get to see, but you just can't see them all in one day. We were happy we visited the ones we most wanted to see! So, we geared up for one more long walk that day and headed for the American History Museum. Aaron was very tired, and told us several times that if we walk one mile he must walk 2 or 3, since he takes so many more steps than we do. Derek had a great idea at one of the water fountains and splashed some water in Aaron's hair. He felt better, which means we all felt better!

We made it!

Derek and the boys really liked this museum. I did too, of course. :) It is really hard to describe it, since it has a little bit of everything inside: cars, trains, trucks, ships, antiques, crops, city life, America's growth and expansion, etc. I have to confess that I spent a lot of time on the bench while everyone else learned all about engines and generators. I was happy for them and happy for me. :) The best part of this museum is seeing the Star Spangled Banner. It is in a very dark room and of course pictures are forbidden. (ERIC!) Seeing this flag brought back a lot of memories for Derek, since he saw it with his family when he was growing up. I sure am glad we took the time to find it on display.

Standing by a 1965 Ford Mustang which was on display at the World's Fair

When we saw everything we wanted to see, we found the nearest metro station and went back to our hotel. We were becoming pretty good at navigating the metro system. I kept a metro map in my purse, and Aaron really liked looking at it while we rode the train. The biggest station we transferred trains in was at L'Enfant Square. Derek took a panoramic picture of it and I think it turned out pretty neat.

Kaleb and Aaron often discussed which train was their favorite. Was it Blue Largo, Yellow Huntington, Yellow Ft. Trotten, or Blue Franconia-Springfield? :)

We found an Applebee's not far from our hotel for our supper. I think Aaron ordered mini-cheeseburgers at just about every restaurant on our vacation. :) Our poor waitress was tired and she spilled all of our drinks on the table, on herself, and on Braylen's leg. We were tired too and all felt sorry for her. It provided a memory for us, I guess!

Back at the hotel Derek took the boys down to the pool for a night swim. I had the room to myself and sipped some hot tea and watched TV. It felt great! I was really weary of the fever and hoped that it would be gone for good the next morning. It was, and it never returned. Must have been the tea and my alone time! :) My cough grew worse, but never serious enough for me to feel the need to find a doctor. Well, Saturday sure took a lot of time to type out. I guess that means we did a lot and made a lot of memories!