Monday Morning, Day 1: The Memorials and Monuments

Hi Everybody!

I promised to try and get this post out about our trip to D.C. so here goes my second entry.  Sherry had a great idea - because we knew the heat was going to be severe (low 90's to high 90's by the end of the week, with only a "chance" of rain on Thursday), she suggested we visit the places we considered were absolute must sees.  Otherwise, we might talk ourselves out of going because we were only going to get more tired and hotter as the week wore on!  And I'm glad we took her advice!  It was grueling, but we were determined!  Our first stops were at the monuments.

Part of the Vietnam War Memorial.  Very poignant, and so lifelike.

Vietnam War Memorial - The Wall.  This wall contains names of all those who lost their lives as a result of the Vietnam War.  To me, the most moving sight was watching those older than me who had either lived through the war "first hand" (I was only a teenager when it ended) or who had probably lost friends and family.  The heat was beastly,  but it was well worth the visit.  What I did not realize is that there are spaces kept available for those who have recently died or will die in the future as a direct result from their Vietnam War wounds. Most people do not realize there are still patients in military hospitals who will never go home from that war. 

World War II Memorial - with wreaths and markers representing each of the 50 states.

Sherry and I standing at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.  The "mall" is in the background and is usually under water. However, they're in the process of either cleaning it or working on repairs because - as you can see - it's all dry land and roped off, with construction crews working on it.  In the background between us, you can see the Washington Monument.  I didn't realize that at the base of the Washington Monument are 50 flags, representing each of the 50 states.  There's a later photo of the Washington Monument that's much better than this particular view.

Isabel was so good the entire time; I'm very proud of her.  She was a real trooper, despite the heat, long walks, and being dragged all over the entire city for a week!  You can see the "dry mall" better in this photo, with the Washington Monument and immediately to its lower left is the capitol building.  For those of you who saw the movie Forest Gump, you might remember this area.  It was all under water and it was here that "Forest" gave his speech about what he thought of the Vietnam War.  He then saw "Jenny" and ran into the water to greet her.

The lovely Lincoln Memorial - one of my favorites

Izzy at the base of Lincoln's Memorial.

This is my personal favorite of all the memorials - The Korean War Memorial.  My father was a Marine in this war.  The memorial is so lifelike, even in broad daylight.  Sherry has seen it at night time, which she says is the most amazing sight, surreal in the extreme.  The men are in full pack, on patrol of course during the rainy season so they have their ponchos on.  There's also a reflecting pool just behind the wall, which is part of the memorial.  You can literally walk all the way around and see the men from different angles.  I never tired of looking at them.  You want so much to be able to reach out and try to help them. 

Isabel just about to board The Metro. This was a Godsend and literally saved us from all manner of difficulties.  It's the underground train of course and runs throughout the city.  Very punctual, very fast, and an absolute must when you're traveling throughout the city as we were!  To give you an idea of how hot it was, the Red Line had to close down for repairs one night (Monday I think) because the steel track had buckled from the heat!  It made the news of course and we were all in agreement that it definitely felt that hot outside!

That's it for now. Thank you for hanging in there on these long posts! 

May God Bless, Jan