Day #4 - Solemn

We got up pretty slowly today. LOL. I think our muscles weren't impressed with us. All I can say is I am glad that I work out. There is no way I coulda done all the walking and climbing and standing I did the day before and then get up and do a practical repeat! We weren't sure exactly what we would be doing. I really wanted to go to the Holocaust Museum and Bryce wanted to hit the war Memorials. Other than that we didn't know. We decided to go to Arlington. I do have a love for cemeteries, and this is probably the most well known in the nation. We got on the train and made our way to Virgina. (another state to knock off my list!). We purchased a tour bus ticket. And the first stop was the Kennedy's grave. It was really a neat place. Not only did we see JFK's and Jackie O's along with their two kids buried there, but we also saw Bobby Kennedy and Ted Kennedy's too! After a couple of photos we hopped back on the bus and the next stop was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We got there in the middle of the changing of the guard and couldn't really see much through the crowd already there. Bryce really wanted to see it so we waited front and center for the next go around. Didn't really mind tho, watching the soldier walk back and forth and observing the tomb itself wasn't too boring funny enough. We watched the changing of the guard and some laying of wreaths. I am amazed at the precision and perfection. Very neat. We got on the next bus and headed to the Arlington House. I had heard about its beginnings before but never really paid attention to the story, so it was like I was hearing it for the first time. We walked through the house that had no furniture since it was undergoing a renovation. Saw the slaves quarters and then we hopped on the bus again. Of course I can't speak about a trip to Arlington without talking about the moment that you see those infamous white headstones. It seems as if they go on forever. It is so beautiful, and then you think, "Every single one of those represents a soldier who is gone."

After Arlington we headed back to DC and walked over to the Holocaust museum. There were no tickets left for the day, but thankfully since my bro was military, we got right in. That is also a very sobering experience. Seeing actual items from the Holocaust and its victims. All the propaganda, torture, murder and cruelty. It is so sad, yet intensely interesting. We didn't know how huge that museum is. There is so much information and items to go through. I made a mental note that next time I would plan on being there all day. We probably were able to actually read maybe a third of the information available. We would have been longer but wanted to see the war memorials too. So we left and walked over to the Washington monument. We walked up next to it, and boy is that thing tall! after that we headed to the WWII Monument, which was also quite big. We were hoping to see the reflecting pool but all we saw was the bottom of it. It is being "renovated" LOL. We went to the Korean War monument, the Lincoln and then finally the Vietnam Memorial and wall. That one got us both quiet. Needless to say we were very tired and sore. So we headed back home. I totally fell in love with Washington DC.