Our Trip-part four....

WASHINGTON DC!!!!!!!!

Honestly I think I was the most excited about this part of our trip.

I am a huge fan of history. HUGE. So to be in a place that is filled with so much of it honestly was a real treat for me.

While planning this trip, I asked everyone what they wanted to see while we were in DC:

Tom wanted to go to Arlington National Cemetery
I wanted to see the Constitution and the White House
Kasey wanted to see the National Archives
Jake wanted to see the Washington Monument and the reflecting pool
Hannah wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial
Mary said she has never been to DC so anything she saw would be wonderful.

Everything I have read about DC says you do not want to drive yourself around.

Ok, so that put me on a quest to find out how to get around to the different parts of the city.

I found this company Old Town Trolley. My BFF Jenn and her husband were in DC a few years ago and used a trolley service. She wasn't too thrilled with it because she said it took longer than 30 minutes for a trolley to come by so they just ended up walking. Well, I took her thoughts into consideration and then took into consideration how many people we would be traveling with and went with the trolley. We could have taken the metro around but it seemed too confusing. I bit the bullet and booked us 6 tickets.

So Friday night we all went to bed early because we needed to be up by 5:30 am.

Yes, you read that right. I was up at 5:30 am!!!

DC was 2 hours from Hershey and Arlington (which was our first stop) opened at 8am. We wanted to visit Arlington first because it opened the earliest!

We left the condo, ate breakfast and we were on our way!

Tom plugged in the address in Lucy and we were off. (Lucy is his navigation system-he named her Lucy Goosey because she gets around *smile*)

Stupid me put the camera in the back of the van and I quickly realized I should have had it up with me. The drive was BEAUTIFUL! Rolling green hills, flowering trees along the Potomac River...just beautiful. My eyes have never seen anything like this landscape before. As we were driving I got sentimental thinking this was the view George Washington himself must have seen. Stupid I know, but like I said, I love history.

We made it to Arlington around 9am. The parking lot wasn't that crowded and the visitors center was packed either. Later when we left we realized we made a good call going first thing because by 11am the place was shoulder to shoulder.

We got a map of Arlington form the visitors center and headed towards JFK's Eternal Flame.

The walk was a little lengthy but it makes you really appreciate how many soldiers have given their lives for our country. Every direction we turned we saw white marble headstones perfectly aligned. Tom was telling the kids how many soldiers were buried at Arlington (over 250,000) and some dated back to the civil war. I got teary eyed as he was speaking because until you see it for yourself you just don't appreciate it.

 

It started to rain a little during our walk, but it wasn't terribly bad. When we got to the steps that lead to JFK's  grave, they were very slippery because they were made of marble.

At the top of the stairs we saw the flame and headstones of JFK, Jackie and their 2 infant children.

 

When I turned around I saw the most breathtaking view of Washington D.C. It literally left me speechless. You could clearly see the bridge over the Potomac leading to the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. I can see why this spot was chosen for JFK.

We left JFK and headed to the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Tom narrated to the kids the significance of the Tomb and why the soldiers guard it 24/7 rain or shine. We caught the beginning of the Changing of the Guard but we really couldn't see much because of the crowd. We decided to wait for the next one in 30 minutes. Half way through the change a torrential down pour started. People were running for cover and squealing. The guard bellowed out that silence was expected and there was an immediate hush over the crowd. During the downpour the Guards never missed a beat, nor did they leave. Such dedication and discipline was inspiring. We got a front row spot during the Changing of the Guard 30 minutes later. I have video of some of it but it is on my little camera. That camera is with Tom. I will post them when he returns in July.

After the Changing of the Guard we headed to the car. There is A LOT more to see at Arlington and we wish we would have had more time. We only had one day in DC and we had to fit in as much as possible.

When we got to the Van we discovered we could catch our trolley form Arlington and it would drop us off at the Lincoln Memorial. Bonus! Our original plan was to drive to Union Station and catch our trolley. That saved us a bunch of time and money!

To be continued!!!