What a day! We were a little slow in getting moving this am but we had tickets to the Holocaust Memorial Museum so we grabbed a venti latte and blueberry muffin and headed out. The weather here is unbelievable. The wind was steady blowing today with gusts that actually blew a woman over outside of the museum. It seemed that most of our walking was head first into the wind. It was in the 40’s but felt like 34 all day. Yet we persevered.
We got to the museum and walked through an exhibit that did not require a ticket. It was about a young boy who survived the Holocaust. Very touching exhibit. Then it was time to go through the exhibition that required a ticket. We took an elevator up to the fourth floor of the museum and began a walking tour. Lots of pictures, videos, audio clips, and reading. It was an extremely moving experience. As you move through the exhibit, down three floors, it gets more emotional, much more intense. There were lots of people around us walking through and yet there was very little noise. When anyone spoke it was a whisper at best. We were both taken back by the numbers of people who lost their lives, the details and the mere fact that this occurred in the 20th century. Our conversation for most of the day has been about human nature- the ugliness as well as the will to live and survive. A very solemn experience but one that everyone should be a part of when in D.C.
When we exited the museum to head over to the cafe for lunch, there was an Armenian woman with a walker who was blown over by the wind. We both ran over to help her and she refused our help. In fact, she fussed us for not going on our way- once again, human nature- who can figure it out.
After our lunch we headed over to the WWII Memorial. This is one that I was not aware of before today. It’s not one that just pops into your mind. Very nice memorial. It’s a tribute to the battles in the Pacific as well as the Atlantic. All 50 states are represented with tall granite columns. There is a large fountain inside of the memorial- the wind made it very interesting- even the ducks were bothered by the gusts. We took quite a few pictures here and then headed towards Abe’s place. We walked along side the reflecting pool to get to it- again the wind was relentless. As a reference to Forrest fans, this is where Jenny sees Forrest when he is giving the speech about Vietnam at the protest. We were going to reenact it, but it was way too cold for such foolishness. The memorial itself is very impressive. Abe is huge and powerful. Take a look at the pictures-
Just to the left of Lincoln is the Vietnam Memorial- it’s best known as the Wall. We’ve all seen pictures of this, even video but touching the granite and seeing people rubbing their loved ones names, leaving personal photographs, etc is a moving experience.
We then walked back what seemed like 40 blocks to our hotel, again with the gusts hitting us in the face mixed with a light drizzle. My cheeks are wind burnt from the day. We enjoyed a couple of beers with a cheese platter in the bar downstairs.
On the flight in I read through an airline magazine that listed the best restaurants in the US- the best steakhosue just happened to be in DC- a place called Bobby Van’s. Guess what is directly across the street from our hotel? Bobby Van’s! We enjoyed aged beef that was excellent.
We had a busy day and are still unsure of our plan for tomorrow. The weather will definitely dictate what we are doing. There is a chance for snow showers tomorrow- go figure.