Day Twelve - Washington D.C.

It was sad to leave Miss Kates, but it had to be done. We stuck around for brunch in the cafeteria and then loaded the car back up. We were pulling out of the parking lot by noon.
It should only have been a two and a half hour drive to Washington DC, but we detoured to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. We wandered through the Visitors’ Center and then decided to tour the city on our own. For any future Gettysburg visitors, I would probably recommend planning to spend more time in the city and taking the bus tour. The bus tour cost about thirty dollars a person, but I feel that it would have been a more comprehensive tour of the city and the landmarks. I am also easily annoyed by what I feel are people disrespecting landmarks; especially those dedicated to the deceased. So it was unpleasant to see people pulling off of the road and onto the grass of the battlefield in between the monuments.

Before we left the Visitors’ Center, we stopped to see a statue of Lincoln next to a plaque with the words from his famous Gettysburg Address on them. I wasn’t required to learn the speech when I was in high school, but looking back, I wish they would require it of all students. And in case your teachers did not require it either, here’s a refresher course. :)

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.


Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Regardless, we left Gettysburg shortly thereafter. We hit traffic on our way into DC, and got slightly lost on our way to Jen’s apartment. While I have been in DC once before, I took the train into DC from my cousins’ house in Fredricksburg, Virginia and then used the Metro all day, so I have never actually driven inside the city. It is confusing, to say the least.

I hope you guys enjoy this picture, because we drove around a town trying to get back on the highway in the opposite direction so that we could go back and get Jess a picture of it since we missed it the first time around.

We met one of Jen’s roommates and became acquainted with her place before the four of us (Me, Jess, Jen and Ellie – one of Jen’s roommates) ventured down the street to find a market to pick up the ingredients for Jen to make us spaghetti. They also introduced me to Rita’s – a custard and Italian ice shop that is popular on the East Coast. Jess had already been to a Rita’s when she visited Kates last year. I had root beer flavored ice with vanilla custard. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. I was definitely more hyped up for it than I feel it merited. *It sure wasn’t as good as a nice scoop of Maui Waui*

From there, we headed back to the apartment, to eat dinner, meet another roommate and relax for awhile. The girls exchanged large, written notes with boys in an apartment across the street, but that didn’t amount to anything. :)

Once it was dark; Jess, Jen and I headed down the street to the Metro station. Jess and I bought passes for the next few days and we headed to the Capitol Mall to see the monuments at night. I absolutely adore this city. I loved it last time, but I had forgotten how much. There is so much history, politics and influence crammed into this little city.

The Washington Monument was even larger than I remember, and stunning at night. I visited the city alone last time, and I never felt comfortable enough to walk around alone at night.

We then visited the World War II Monument, which was one of my favorites last time. It too, was especially powerful at night. Maybe it’s just me, but I get emotional at the monuments. Part of the World War II Monument hosts 4,048 (according to my guidebook) gold stars, each representing 100 American lives lost during the War. Then inscription “Here we mark the price of freedom” is written on granite in front of the reflecting pool. If more than 400,000 (American) lives lost isn’t sobering enough, imagine the 400,000 plus families who lost a child (spouse, sibling, parent). A pair of matching flagpoles guard the entrance to the monument, one bearing the inscription “Americans came to liberate, not to conquer, to restore freedom and to end tyranny.” The monument itself has two pavilions dedicated to the Pacific and Atlantic, with fifty-six pillars listing the names of the fifty states (forty-eight at the time) and territories of the US (the Roll Call of the Nation).

From the World War II Memorial, we headed down to the Korean War Memorial. It was almost eleven by this point, and a park ranger was waiting to give a final talk. She started early for us, and it was very well worth it (plus I’ve already shared my love of tours). She explained that war memorials were originally not thought to be appropriate for the mall, until Congress saw the way people reacted with the Vietnam Memorial, leaving behind flowers and personal mementos at the names of the lost, and all of the sometimes tearful reunions that were had there. The Korean War Memorial was completed in 1995 and consists of nineteen larger-than-life statues of soldiers (thirty-eight when they are reflected in the wall). The soldiers represent an integrated military – if you look closely you can tell that there are African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Native American and Caucasian soldiers and that they all appear to be whipped by the wind. They also represent all of the branches of the Armed Forces. The ground is designed to appear rough and mountainous, with long granite slabs representing the rice patties. At the front of the monument lies a reflecting pool, the granite edge is lines with the numbers from the war, lives lost, wounded, missing, both from the UN and from the US. Apparently almost every day, a Korean group – either from the embassy or one visiting- places a wreath at the front of the monument to thank the US soldiers who helped them win their freedom. A long granite wall is etched with images of all of the different support troops that assisted those on the ground, from cooks to docs to transport and more. The faces are of real soldiers who fought in the War, I believe 2,400 of them line the wall.

Our cameras are not the best at night, so I will be taking lots more during the day to post. And I'll try and find a map to post as well, since that will be much more effective than me trying to explain how closely all or the monuments are connected.


By this point, it was getting pretty late, so we walked back to the metro station and began the trip back home. Tomorrow’s Sunday so Jen doesn’t work, which means she gets to explore the museums with Jess and I.