Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Day 1 

 

We left Delmar at 6:48 AM with clouds in the sky, but excitement in our hearts.  We were finally on our way to Washington, DC!  After so many months of planning, fund raising, and staying out of as much trouble as possible, we couldn't have been happier.  The bus was ready and so were we.

 

However, by the time we reached the New Jersey Turnpike, some three hours later, it seemed as though we would never get there.  Morning traffic, rain, accidents, and more rain, made the trip super long.  We didn't get into Washington, DC, until 3:00 PM, almost 2 hours after we thought we would arrive.

 

Mrs. Heilsberg said she had her Rosary beads with her and that it would be sunny when we got to DC.  Sure enough, the sun came out to stay just as we entered the city.  It was very exciting to see the Capitol through the trees and buildings as we made our way down New York Ave.

 

Our first stop was the Smithsonian Museums.  Mrs. Heilsberg told us there are 19 Smithsonian Museum buildings in Washington, but we only went to three today:  Air and Space, The Native American Indian, and The National Gallery.

It was aaamazing to see the Spirit of St. Louis, Charles Lindbergh's plane, tour the Space Lab, and go on a flight simulator.  At the National Gallery, we saw sculptures by Degas and Rodin, to name a few.  It was very cool to stand just a few inches from a Monet!  The Native American Indian Museum is home to the largest collection of Native American Indian artifacts.  An incredible collection.

After the Smithsonian museums, we walked down Independence Ave, passed the Department of Agriculture garden, where they are growing the Three Sisters?  Do you know what they are?  We'll reveal the answer later tonight!

We ended out walk at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  We experienced a photo and audio essay titled Daniel's Story.  It is an amazing story, filled with emotion, but also hope. 

After our visit, we walked up the National Mall.  People were beginning to play softball and kickball.  Grown-ups playing kickball!  We would've destroyed them if we were allowed to play.  The National Mall, known as "America's Front Yard",  is very green right now.  The lawn does need to be cut in spots.

We went to dinner at Union Station, and finished a long day by visiting the Jefferson Memorial.  We will add more details about this later.

On Wednesday, we are scheduled to visit the International Spy Museum, Ford's Theater, and the World War II memorial.  We will write more later.