Today, Jennifer and I walked the entire length of the National Mall one and a half times, and we saw so many interesting monuments made of stone, granite, marble, and other various forms of rock. The thing that amazed me most was the mixture of sadness, anger, joy, and pride that I felt at each
place we visited.
We began today's journey at the Washington Monument which is undergoing repairs from an earthquake that occurred in August 2011. We were quite annoyed that after almost 2 years, the monument is still closed, but we did get some great pictures. You don't truly comprehend how tall the monument is until you see it in person. As I was staring at it today, it reminded me of the six foot one inch first President: strong, tall, and reflective.
From the Washington Monument, we continued our trek stopping to admire the World War II Memorial. It was divided into two sides one for the Pacific and one for the Atlantic. The memorial was a very peaceful place with its fountains and small pool in the center unlike the war that actually happened around 70 years ago.
We were worried the Lincoln Memorial would not be opened due to the vandalism that took place last week. Even though crews are still working to clean up the green paint, the memorial was opened. Jennifer and I stood in awe at this great man that tried to keep our nation together during some of its darkest times, but we both expressed our sadness that this great memorial had been tarnished and our anger at the person who did it. Our applause goes out to the crews who are working around the clock to bring Mr. Lincoln to his former glory.
Next we began to make our way back down the National Mall stopping by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. I was struck with the sheer amount of names etched into each section of that great wall. While my knowledge of the this particular war is small, my respect for those men who fought in the war continues to grow.
From there, we traveled down Constitution Avenue to the National Archives. I could not wait to see the documents that I teach my fourth graders about every year: The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. Oh how I wish I could have taken pictures to not only show my students these all too important documents, but to also show them one of the rough drafts that Jefferson did on the Declaration of Independence. I told the teenager standing next to me, "See! Even Thomas Jefferson had to revise his own writing!" Of course, the poor teenager looked at me like I was insane, but he doesn't understand how passionate this teacher is about helping students see the importance of drafting and revising and then do it! Of course the reason that I could not take pictures of any of the documents is because they are fading away. Two hundred years of being exposed to not only regular light but flash photography as well has faded the ink on these precious documents. Jennifer and I were both terribly saddened by the fact that you can hardly make out any words on the Declaration of Independence. I had to get down as close to the glass as possible and squint really hard to even slightly make out John Hancock's John Hancock.
After a brief lunch in the Archive's cafe, we hustled down Constitution Avenue to the Dirkson Senate Office Building where Tennessee's Senators Bob Corker's and Lamar Alexander's offices are located. At two o'clock, we were taken on a tour of the Capitol by two of Senator Corker's interns. If you ever come to Washington, DC, I do suggest making arrangements with your state's congressmen to schedule a tour. It is free, and it gets you to the front of all the lines! We were able to bypass the crowds that went to the Capitol without scheduling appointments. While this history nut enjoyed the tour of the Capitol immensely, my favorite part of the tour was going through the underground tunnels that connected the Congressmen's and women's office buildings to the Capitol. We were able to take their underground trolley and even passed Senator John McCain and Senator Rand Paul while we were down there.
After a day filled with historical landmarks, documents and tours, Jennifer and I returned to the hotel to soak our feet and rest our bodies until our next outing!
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