Washington DC by daylight

After taking the tour the evening before in the moonlight, M and I packed up my backpack, got up early and headed to the metro system to find our way down to the Washington Mall. We walked and toured from about 10:00 a.m. in the morning to 10:00 p.m. at night. We started at the top of the Mall and walked through and around. Highlights included the World War II memorial (I had not seen it) and the Lincoln Memorial which M referred to as the "Copper Penny Man Memorial. We stood in a very long line at the National Archives building and pushed, squirmed our way around hordes of students trying to get their short glimpse of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of the Constitution, etc. and, of course, souvenir shopping. By the way, do you know how far it is between possible bathroom stops when you are traveling with a female adolescent! I do.

As we began this trip, M asked, "Do we had to go where all the history stuff is in Washington? History is so boring!" I responded: "M, Washington is a living memorial to history. You can't take a step in Washington without running into a piece of history, past/present/future." At the end of the long day, she admitted that she had enjoyed and gained a new respect for history after visiting Washington. I, however, found myself sadly realizing that Washington, as a living historical city, is primarily filled with expansive monuments and buildings that stand as anthems and hymns to war and death. I left the city with a heavy heart, aware for the first time the price we pay as a country for our freedoms and frightened that we as a country will never be able to change from this path that we have so clearly walked with pride.