Summer Vacation - Part 2: Washington DC, Days 4, 5 & 6

***Days 4, 5, and 6 all run together in my mind and I can't remember which day was what.

Sunday after a long nap and homemade Tamales, we all headed downtown to look at the national monuments. Here is the Washington monument, about 1/3 of the way up you can see the stone changes colors. This was due to lack of funding. You can also go inside and up to the observation level but it was under construction so it was closed.

 Between Washington and Lincoln's monuments is the WWII memorial.

 

 The view of Lincoln's monument from the Washington monument.

 The Gettysburg address inside the monument.

 The Washington monument from the stairs of the Lincoln monument.

 We went to see Jefferson's monument on Day 5, it's probably the least visited because it's out of the way a tiny bit.

 Capitol Hill

The White House!! I was so disappointed you couldn't see much of it because they were renovating the gate around the house. And I had to take pictures of the protesters which I'm sure are a daily occurrence. Also, you could see armed guards on top of the house at all times. You can still tour the White House but you have to get approval from your state senator to then get on the wait list for further clearance. It's seemingly impossible but I would love to tour it one day.

Looking at all of the monuments is a lot of walking so on the next day as we finished seeing them all, Lance and I took scooters around downtown.

 ARLINGTON CEMETERY

There are over 400,000 graves here. It is a very humbling and sacred place and much, much larger than I thought.

 JFK and Jackie Onassis

The view from the Kennedy's burial plots.

 Bobby Kennedy

 Edward Kennedy

 JFK's brother Joseph Jr.

This is the Robert E. Lee home located in Arlington Cemetery. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation so we weren't allowed inside.

This is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We were able to witness the changing of the guards and I was surprised to find that they wear special boots that clink every time they click their boots together in marching. The weapon is completely inspected as well as the soldier. It took about 15 or so minutes and has a beautiful view of DC.

 

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM

This museum was first on my DC bucket list but was much different than I expected. Most of it was videos and pictures and very few artifacts. We are assuming that most of the artifacts are in Europe where it all happened. Although it was very crowded (that was even with a ticket) it was still very quiet, no crying even from the babies or toddlers.

The infamous striped pajamas worn by concentration camp victims.

 Photos of the victims; Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

 The actual gate to the cemetery in Tarnow where 5,000-10,000 Jewish residents were shot, mostly children and the elderly.

An actual rail car used in transporting Jews. "Most deported Jews endured a tortuous train journey to death camps in bare freight cars, under conditions of hunger and thirst, extreme overcrowding, and horrible sanitation. In winter they were exposed to freezing temperatures, and in summer they were enveloped in suffocating heat and stench. Many of those deported, especially the elder people and young children, died during the journey...As many as 100 victims were packed into a single car...This German freight car is standing on tracks that led to the Treblinka station. This group of Jews from Cracow was deported in the freight car of the 'Karlsruhe.'"

THIS. These are thousands and thousands of Holocaust victims' shoes. You could still smell the leather. This is not a photo of a photo. The plaque above it read:

 "We are the shoes, we are the last witnesses. 

We are shoes from grandchildren and grandfathers

From Prague, Paris, and Amsterdam,

And because we are only made of fabric and leather

And not of blood and flesh, each one of us avoided the hellfire."

This is a photo of a photo (not actual hair) of the hair that was shorn from the heads of the victims. They stuffed it into canvas bales and sold it for commercial use. The bales weighed 15,000 pounds.

 At the end of the museum is the Holocaust memorial.

These are two survivors and they told Lance their stories, one was 9 years old and the other was 5 years old at the time. More than anything we were shocked at how recent the Holocaust was and that there are still survivors living today.

We had a week-long, very exciting and adventurous trip to Washington DC. We are so thankful for Bonnie and Kempton and their hospitality letting us invade their apartment, and especially for all the homemade, super delicious food Bonnie made. We realized this would be our last chance to see them, possibly for the next three years, while they are posted in Mexico and so we are grateful to spend the time with them and their children. THANK YOU  BONNIE AND KEMPTON!!!