December 5, 2014 (Washington, D.C., USA)

Today was a big day. It started with waffles at Lincoln’s waffle shop, a diner next to Ford’s Theater where Lincoln was assassinated. It was a classic diner where we sat at a laminated bar with a linoleum floor and was served up a  good and fast breakfast- lots to do today. Across the street we walked through the museum in the basement of the Ford’s Theater which honored  Lincoln and recounts and memorializes the night that Lincoln was attending a play with his wife and was assassinated by Booth.  Booth was a disgruntled Southerner whose action was in response to the South surrendering to the North and not wanting the Union to exist. He came into Lincoln’s theater box and shot him in the head. 

Lincoln died as a hero for keeping the Union together and also remembered for his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves and his Gettysburg Address. The museum had a great video too that had the living presidents of the USA speaking the words of Lincoln’s Gettsyburg address which was his most famous speech given when Gettsyburg was dedicated as a memorial.  Sam and I were both really interested in the displays and Lincoln’s life. Had a moment for Sam's friend Arron MacRitchie that is a total Lincoln fan :) It again struck me how vital it was that he was the President when he was in order to have kept the Union together so that today we remain the United States of America. 

We opted for the Trolley today which had a tour guide who told us interesting facts about the Washington sights.  It was nice to sit inside the warm bus and learn interesting facts including where the Smithsonian got it’s name. I have actually always wondered that, and our guide explained that it was from a half million dollar donation from a Scottish man named James Smithson that had never even been to the USA before and yet  he gave his fortune to the US government to found an establishment "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Hence the many buildings that have been built and preserve our cultural, artistic and historical treasures. He did ultimately visit the USA after his death, since Smithson is buried underneath the Smithsonian red brick castle. 

We got off the Trolley at the FDR Memorial. I had never seen this memorial and it was AWESOME!!! There were so many amazing quotes, truth spoken and words that weren’t just words spoken at a pulpit but words that had been put into action. FDR had been an incredible leader and had revived an economy and a generation that was in despair and had fearlessly led a country into a war and through a war in defense of world peace and good over evil. He also picked an incredible wife who I learned today was named the first US appointment to the United Nations.  Sam and I walked through the monument and took turns reading all the quotes which were sectioned off into sculptures and engravings from each of his 3 elected terms. It was inspiring. 

We then moved to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. It  was impressionable as well with more inspiriting quotes about peace and unity. There is a curved engraved wall through a mound of rock where a chunk has been cut out and a carving of MLK has been cut into this breakout rock. On the rock with the sculpture of MLK is the statement “ Out of a Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope.” The Memorial is awesome in my opinion and overlooks the Basin. It was next to the Lincoln Memorial the most visited Monument was saw today. It again was moving as Sam and I talked about each of these quotes and what they meant and the significance of MLK. 

We then walked over to the WW II Memorial I can’ t believe I had never seen it. All of these had been put up since I left high school. This was the most beautiful of all the monuments in my opinion with the wreaths that symbolize prosperity and industry and fountains and each state bound together by symbolic ropes standing unified, each state placed by when they joined the Union. Again symbolic eagles and ribbons that are strong and brave and hold together our country. It was inspiring the monument and felt like it offered hope. Sam has two grandfathers that fought in WW II, Pa and my mother's father and other family members. They have a wall covered in gold stars and a star for each 100 soldiers that gave their live in battle. There were 4048 stars, nearly a half million Americans gave their life to this great war. 

We walked over to the Vietnam Memorial next. I can’t believe that  I hadn’t seen this one. This one struck Sam the most as we could see and read thousands of names that covered the entire monument with names of those that had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and freedom of others. The sheer magnitude of names was sobering. 

The Lincoln Memorial was the last one that we visited and walked all around, although we did see the Korean Memorial which is really different with depictions of men in rain gear and weapons trenching through grasses. Wihle taking the Trolley back we were stopped by a motorcade that was going to be coming through. It was Marion Barry's funeral procession, the former DC Mayor. For the past two mornings outside our hotel window looking onto the DC City Hall there have been processions of people and flags and police cars in the street. We saw his casket being carried into the City Hall for a viewing on Th and then this morning saw the funeral procession happening. They are taking his body all over DC for the next 3 days. I have never seen such a procession and event for someone that has died and especially such a controversial mayor that was caught doing cocaine while in office. But then again he was reelected and apparently a very popular Mayor who had decades of public service.

Arriving at my mom’s home she took us around every room in the house, each decorated to the nines with Christmas decorations- it’s really rather amazing actually. She made us a tasty dinner in what looked like nothing less than Mrs Clause’s dining room and then we went next door to visit my cousin/friend Angie with Sam and share details of our Asia trip with her. Full day, good day. Collapsed writing our blogs :)