Sunday in D.C. and preparations for the holidays

   
      Well the nice weather has returned to D.C. and the temps are well into the 60's today.  It rained most of the night, which is the perfect time for it to rain. The windows and front door of Big Red are open and a nice breeze is blowing through.  I've got to backtrack a few days to get caught up, which translates to:  We are pounding the sites around DC and we're too tired when we get home!
     One thing we have discovered is you can't see everything DC has to offer in just a few short days.  We really should have spent more time in ALL the museums and sites we've visited, but we kept moving forward hoping to get a glimpse at everything and deciding what we wanted to visit on our next journey.  Everyone has an important story to tell, but visitors with limited time are forced to pick and choose.  Saturday was a beautiful day....still just a slight breeze,,,but very pleasant temperatures. Debbie and I have become real pro's at maneuvering through the various modes of transportation around D.C.  The other night, we arrived back at the bus terminal after exiting the metro, and met some people from the RV Park waiting for the bus nearly frozen to death.  They had been waiting for over 1 hour.  Just by chance, we had timed it so our wait with them was only about 15 minutes.  The following night, Debbie and I were waiting for the Metro in DC and remembered that our bus only runs every hour.  Debbie pulled out her trusty bus schedule, and we decided to wait in the nice warm Metro terminal in DC for about 20 more minutes and then catch our train.  When we arrived at our bus station, our wait was only about 10 minutes.  Of course this theory only works if the bus is on time.....which it was....so we looked like pro's.
     So Saturday, we had planned quite a full day.  I had touched base with Rep. Owens and had scored some tour tickets for the Capital Building for the 2:20 pm tour.  So first we headed to the Archives Museum located right on the Mall.  No pictures can be taken at the Archives, but the Declaration of Independence is on display along with thousands of other documents of American History.  It is definitely a place a visitor to D.C. needs to visit.  We managed to wander through only 1 floor of the museum and decided that we needed to keep moving.

 Exiting the museum, we turned right and headed down the Mall toward the WWII Memorial.  It was about a 15 minute walk to get there, but the sights along the way make it an enjoyable walk.  You have to pass by the Washington Monument, and from there the White House is visible.  At the other end of the Mall is the Lincoln Memorial, and probably half way in between is the WWII Memorial. The WWII Memorial is divided into the Atlantic & Pacific theater.  A pool with multiple fountains lays between them and each state is represented with a vertical tower and a large wreath at the top. The Memorial honors the 16 million who served, the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort at home.

    In the center of the Memorial is a wall containing 400 gold stars, commemorating the more than 400,000 who died.  We need to remember that more the 605,000 died during our Civil War.
     At the opposite end of the Mall, is the Capital Building, and Debbie and I had spent a little too much time at the memorial.  So we headed out at a pretty crisp pace, for the 1 mile walk back.  But we made it with a few minutes to spare, and luckily it wasn't a busy day at the Capital.  We worked our way through security and entered into the Visitor Center, newly constructed since 9/11.

They have a pretty good system, and once inside we got our passes and were able to sit down and just enjoy the surroundings.  There was a replica of the statue Freedom in the visitor center that matches the statue on the top of the dome.  It stands at about 19.5 ft and weighed more than originally anticipated, which forced the original architect to make a few changes in the construction of the dome to support the weight of  Freedom.  The interior of the Capital is full of magnificent paintings and statues depicting our nation's history, but unfortunately the tour guides move way too fast to let you see them.

 This was the only unfortunate part of the visit.  Our guide had her story down pat, but lacked any enthusiasm is telling it.  But don't let this deter you from taking the tour if you get the opportunity.  There's also an Exhibit Hall which is off of the Visitor Center, which has hundreds of photos of the Capital's construction and a video explaining the Legislative Branch of our gov't.  Again, unfortunately, you can't take any pictures which I really didn't understand.

   
 On Sunday we attended noon mass at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  The Basilica is the largest Roman Catholic Church in the United States and North America, and one of the ten largest churches in the world.  The website refers to it as "America's Catholic Church and it has been visited by Pope Benedict XVI, Saint John Paul II, and Blessed Mother Teresa.  It is truly magnificent and relatively modern structure, with its construction spanning the 19th, 20th, and now 21st centuries.  It contains over 70 chapels.  It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Patroness of the United States, and throughout her are statues and paintings of her.  We spent a few hours walking through the numerous chapels, and viewing the magnificent artwork.  The Basilica is open daily, and there is ample free parking for those coming to attend mass or just visit. There are free guided tours,dining area, and of course 2 gift shops.  If you can come to D.C. plan on spending a few hours visiting the Basilica.

 

       Today we are getting our lives cleaned up and packed up so we can head back to Syracuse for Thanksgiving with the Princess.  It's going to be interesting watching her fly around the kitchen putting a dinner together!!  On Sunday, we'll be heading back here to D.C. to pick up Big Red, and then we're off to Tennessee, Alabama, and finally some warm weather in Florida.  We'll be hitting Gainesville for Aunt Anita's 89th birthday, so we had better be on time.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!