Today’s actual temperature was 100, but with the heat index it felt like 111. I don’t know what you think, but when I’m pounding the pavement all day, that doesn’t seem to be the ideal temperature. Oh well – what could we do?
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| Kylie and Lioness Friend |
We started off the morning by going to the National Zoo, which was Kylie’s choice. The National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian, so there is no charge to get in. What a deal! This zoo was deemed acceptable by Kylie because they met her minimum requirement number of “big cats.” In fact, the entrance we walked into was closest to the tigers and lions, so it was her lucky day! We first saw a gorgeous tiger – just beautiful – and rounded the corner to see Mr. Big Lion observing his terrain. Andrew and I spoke with one of the zoo volunteers who was observing the behavior of the lion. Every four minutes, she was writing down what the lion was doing. She was telling us that we had just missed the cubs (darn it!) but if we were going to be at the zoo for a while we should check back before leaving. Darn it!
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| Baby Girl! |
We walked around and I tried not to take TOO many photos, but of course I took too many photos. I mean, how many photos of sloths do I really need? The National Zoo was very nice! It was made even nicer when we left because, yes, we got to see all seven lion cubs and their two mamas. Oh, we were very happy (especially one of us).
We grabbed an easy lunch at Union Station, which is essentially a big mall that houses the mass transit system. Andrew and I were happy to get Chipotle!
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| I bugged someone to take our pic. |
After lunch, we grabbed a taxi and headed to the Lincoln Memorial, which was on our “must-do” list! I think I have visited Washington DC only twice before in my life, once when I was around 18 and once when I was about four. I distinctly remember, from that trip when I was four, standing at the bottom of Lincoln’s statue and being in awe of this huge man. Of course, I didn’t know anything about the actual man at the time, I just knew he was larger than life! This time, we took the time to gaze at the wonderful statue, and read the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address, which was during the Civil War, which were both engraved on the walls of the memorial. Wow.
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| World War II Memorial |
After heading down the steps, we walked over to the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the WWII Memorial. These were high on Andrew’s list. All were beautiful in their own way – and all very meaningful. I cried at the Korean War Memorial because of this etched message in the sidewalk: "OUR NATION HONORS HER SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO DEFEND A COUNTRY THEY NEVER KNEW AND A PEOPLE THEY NEVER MET".
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| In front of the National Archives building |
We attempted to go to the Holocaust Museum, but found it closed at 4:30. Lucky for us, the National Archives had extended hours in the summer and we were able to get in at the last minute. In the rotunda, we saw the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Yes, I cried standing in front of the Constitution. This was a very emotional trip for me. My family think I’m nuts! The Declaration is so faded. It used to be displayed in full light but now is very protected, as are the other original documents. The rotunda is kept in very low light, also, not fully-lit as “Ben Gates” saw it in National Treasure. And, for the record, Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) was getting ripped off at the gift shop, paying $35 for a Declaration replica. They cost only around $8.50. ;p
After leaving the National Archives, we found ourselves back at Union Station. We opted for a nicer dinner this evening at Thunder Grill. It was FREEZING inside there, which was a nice change from the searing heat that was outside, but after a while it was a bit much. Kylie ended up ordering hot chocolate!
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