DC It All!!

Day 2 in Washington has opened our eyes to what an amazing and historical city this actually is. We booked a bus tour (complete with guide, Dion and driver Linda) for a 6-hour tour around the city.

We went to places like the US Capitol Building, Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial and The White House. There was also plenty of things pointed out to us by our guide from the bus.

I have a dream!

At the Lincoln Memorial we all stood on the spot where Martin Luther King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. Also from here we saw the spot where Forrest and Jenny reunited in the movie "Forrest Gump"! It was great having a guide as we would never have learnt all that we did or saw what we did. It was again one of those experiences that we all just can't seem to find the right words that would explain it. It was well worth the money we paid.  The Memorials were all wonderful and we commented that it was a great honour for these people to have such amazing memorials dedicated to them.  The view from the Lincoln Memorial right down the National Mall with the National Monument half way down was fantastic.  The construction of the National Monument was halted during the Civil War.  It was completed some years after but with stone sourced from a deeper part of the quarry.  Hence there is a "line" where the darker stone commences showing what was constructed after the Civil War.

Washington DC is very much like Canberra in lots of ways with the various war memorials etc.  It is very well laid out with lots of space.

The modern tradition for presidential memorials is that they have memorial libraries.  The FDR memorial will be the last apparently.

We were shown the place where the Dr Martin Luther King Memorial is to be built.  What coincidence that this memorial will be dedicated by Barack Obama, the first black American President.

We were driven down Embassy row and also past the National Cathedral and also Arlington National Cemetery where JFK is buried.  We are going there later in the week.

There is quite a bit of excitement in the city with the inauguration ceremony coming up on 20 January 2009.  There are stands being built for the guests and crowds for the Inauguration Parade etc.

We are enjoying the space and not so many people.  New York was great but exhausting and Washington is proving very relaxing.

Dinner in the hotel restaurant was good with crab cakes, a local specialty from Chesapeake Bay, shrimp pasta, pork loin and quesadillas.  Dessert was in our rooms with Haagen Das ice cream purchased from the local convenience store - Yum!!