On our last day in Washington it would be remiss of us to not go and visit a couple of the more memorable and significant sights of this wonderful city. The Lincoln Memorial was our first destination by bus. It is one of those significant places to visit whilst in Washington and is nestled next to the reflective pools, World War II Memorial and the Washington Mall. The pools were made famous by many movies but in particular the Forrest Gump, and is where Martin Luther King made his "I have a Dream" speech. It's a beautiful place and luckily today not too many people visiting this memorial and looking at this wonderful structure. Right next to it is another lovely tribute to the men and women that died in the Vietnam war. If you look at the photo album you can see the statues that look like the military soldiers coming out of the jungle.
Following this, our wonderfully experienced Brooklyn bus driver suggested we go to the Presidential monuments, so we went to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, then Roosevelt Memorial, and the newly constructed Martin Luther King Jr Memorial. All in all we saw 5 president Memorials Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Jefferson, and the Trump House + a passed legend of freedom, M L King Jr..
Next stop, Arlington Military Cemetery which is one of the bucket list places that you must go to if ever you come to Washington. The cemetery is filled with tens of thousands of soldiers that were have been killed in action whilst fighting for their beloved country. With just Officers buried here, it is a stark reminder of how many forces the US sent to battle in all of the wars fought since World War I. It is also has the burial places of past presidents including JFK and his brother Robert Kennedy. Is also the final resting place of the tomb of the unknown soldier which is protected by military personnel on watch 24 hours a day. A ceremony occurs during the summer months every 30 minutes, and the changing of the guard. This video can be watched on our photo album. Talking to the boys as we walk around they all felt that this is one of the most significant and memorable places they have visited in Washington so far. It is a somber reminder of war, but quite a sight to see grave sites in rows, in lines all together. An amazing place to visit.
From here its was a 45min drive to the Smithsonian Institutes Air and Space Hanger near Dulles Airport. An amazing place, and one id never heard of. Its not as famous as its brother on the Mall in Washington, but so much better. With a Stealth Bomber, a Concorde, Discovery Space Shuttle to name a few, sitting on the floor space, this enormous hanger was quite spectacular. With 2.5 hrs to wonder around the boys really enjoyed the Museum., and in particular the Flight simulators available for them to try. It was also quite good to be in the AC for the heat of the day. You see by the photos what a pleasant place the Hanger was...
Washington is very humid, hit and tough to walk around in the sun, so indoors was a great option.
With a departure from the Dulles Airport in Washington we flew a six hour journey to Seattle, or thats what we'd thought.... booked to leave at 525pm, the plane was delayed about 1.5 hrs, and then finally after getting off the captain tells us it will be a bumpy ride over the country. It wasn't too bad, and most of the boys slept anyway, but we didn't get into our Hotel until around 10pm.
The next few days are very exciting, Microsoft, Uni of Washington, Space needles etc all in one day.... bring on Seattle.
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