Day 32 - Washington DC/Williamsburg, VA

Washington DC – The W Hotel we are staying at is connected to the Willard Intercontinental which is where a lot of the foreign dignitaries stay when in town.  When we took off this morning, we took our luggage to our car.  They had blocked off the entire street and had a huge motorcade.  Secret Service men lined the streets along with cops.  I had to know who it was, so I went up to one of the security men to find out that President Karzai of Afghanistan was staying there and was headed to the White House in ten minutes. We waited to see him leave.  When he finally left they shut down all the streets with 10 motorcycle cops leading the way.  Then came 10 blacked out suburbans.  In each of the vehicles fully armed guards sat facing the crowds with the windows down and their riffles out and ready.  There were three bulletproof presidential limos. And President Karzai was in one of them.  As he drove by, he totally waved at me. That is why I love DC.  You can’t experience things like that anywhere else. We felt like we were in the middle of the all the politics we hear read about online or view on CNN, probably because we were. We also saw one of Mitt Romney’s top aides, Kevin Madden.

(Romney Advisor Kevin Madden)

(there were multiple snipers on the roof of the white house at all times)

We walked across the street to the White House before heading to the Smithsonian Museum of American History.  One of the exhibits included the original flag that survived the war of 1812 and was the inspiration for the Star Spangled Banner.  That was such a touching thing to see.  History like that makes me so proud to be an American. It is very big, probably 30 by 40 feet and you can tell it went through a lot when the British set Washington on fire during the was. We also saw the top hat Lincoln was wearing the day he was assassinated and many other artifacts of each our country’s presidents. We walked through an exhibit that outlined with pictures and documents each of the wars in which our nation has been involved. We also saw a lot of things focused on American culture like the MIchael Jackson's hat.

(George Washington's formal suit)

The weather was drastically different from what we experienced yesterday.  It was in the 80’s and sunny most of the day. We walked all over the mall to the memorials to those who died fighting for our country in the Korean, Viatnam, and second World Wars. 

From there we continued on to the Jefferson Memorial and lastly the Lincoln Memorial.  I love this memorial.  You see Abraham Lincoln sitting in the chair.  It is such powerful statement.  Even sitting, this man is so commanding.  This is also the location of many important events in U.S. history including Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. Lincoln pulled the United States back to be one nation at a time of such tension and opposing lifestyles. He is so revered because he helped us reunite from civil war and remain one nation under God. He also led the abolition of slavery. Even though segregation remained for another 100 years and racism is still an issue, the abolition of slavery was the very important first step towards the founding father’s declaration that all men are created equal. The wall on one side of the memorial is his Gettysburg address and on the other his second inaugural address. The thing that blew me away is how much Lincoln referred to God.  Here he was the sixteenth president of the United States still talking about God like the Founding Fathers did.  I have a hard time understanding why our country has evolved so much to the point that saying anything religious is politically incorrect.  It is a NO NO for any political figure to reference God.  This goes against the specific references and underlying principles on which our nation was founded. Can you tell I’m passionate about this?

We walked through Arlington National Cemetery and saw the gravesites of the Kennedy family including JFK. The cemetery is set on the top of a hill previously owned by General Robert E. Lee so it overlooks the whole city. There is a feeling of solemnity and honor as you look around and see headstone-covered hills where so many patriots have been laid to rest.

On the way out of town we drove by the pentagon but it’s just too big to get a good picture of. We could have stayed in DC another week because there is so much to do and see, but we had to stick to our itinerary and hit the road. This is such a great place to visit especially if you enjoy history and politics.

(The graves of JFK, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and family)

Williamsburg, VA – Due to a quick stop at Mount Vernon (George Washington’s Plantation) and some traffic we didn’t arrive in Williamsburg until dusk.  I wasn’t expecting much and I was pleasantly surprised.  It is an old and extremely well preserved city.  We thought the place would be a ghost town and it kind of was because people were taking ghost tours all through the historic area. The people are dressed in eighteenth century clothing and the homes and gardens appear just as they would have back then. This is definitely a place we would like to return to in the future and spend more time.