A weekend in Washington DC Day 1  | - Click on the image above to view gallery
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 Washington Monument
The obvious place to head for as it was only 5 minutes from the hotel was the Capitol Building, which as the sun was setting turned the most wonderful colour. On the front lawn giving an open air concert that evening was the US Army Band, which was highly entertaining, but what made it even more special was the sight of hundreds of Fireflies that, as the evening got darker, could be seen glowing off and on. They were just magical.
The following morning we were up early and keen to get out before 1) it got too hot and 2) it got too crowded. We walked slowly but surely the 2 miles from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial passing the Washington Memorial and the National World War II Memorial, stopping to take many pictures along the way. The Washington Memorial at 555 ft tall certainly dominates the skyline and from there we could just about make out the White House. But really your eyes are drawn to the Lincoln Memorial, which stands at the end of the mall with a long reflecting pool in front of it.
At the Lincoln Memorial we climbed the marble steps so we could take a closer look at the impressive statue. The Lincoln Memorial is one of the country’s most popular places to visit, so there will always be plenty of people and several cameras were swapped so pictures could be taken. Probably one of the strangest requests for a picture being taken was from a group of girls who wanted their picture taken in front of the Gettysburg Address. Not that that seemed a strange request, but when they told me they were going to jump as I took the picture it did seem a rather strange thing to be doing.
 Lincoln Monument  Abraham Lincoln's Statue  John F Kennedy's Grave and the eternal flame that burns there
We had bought ourselves tickets for use on one of the tour buses that you can hop on and off during the day. Our next stop then was to find the bus stop and get across the Potomac River to Arlington Cemetery. Arlington became a military cemetery in 1864 during the Civil War, and all military veterans are entitled to be buried there. More than 300,000 people are buried there including John F Kennedy, whose grave we found with its everlasting flame burning. Arlington is also the location of the Tomb of the Unknowns where unknown soldiers from several conflicts are buried. The Tomb of the Unknowns has been perpetually guarded since July 2, 1937 by the U.S. Army.
By now the day had become really hot and humid but we boarded the bus once more for a bit more of a tour around the city. The ride back took us past the Pentagon Building, and the bus driver asked us not to take any pictures of it as security has been extremely tight since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Now if I’m asked not to take pictures I always respect the rules, however I was seriously confused when later on that day I saw a postcard for sale with a picture of the Pentagon on it.
 Tomb of the unknown soldier is constantly guarded   Natural History Museums rotunda.
Wow, what a busy morning we had had so far but it was getting too hot so it was definitely time to visit one of the museums and enjoy being in an air conditioned building. Our first stop was in the National Museum of American History where a stop for lunch was very welcome. We then set about seeing as many of the displays that were of interest to us. I loved finding Kermit and also Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. We also found a lot of interesting items in a display of African American artists who have performed at the Apollo Theatre: seeing things like Louis Armstrong’s trumpet and Sammy Davis Junior’s tap shoes was quite something.
One other display I really found fascinating was of the dresses that the First Ladies wore at their husband’s inaugural dinners, including Michelle Obama’s crystal encrusted dress and Jimmy Choo shoes. I can confirm she really has quite large feet. Having had our fill of American culture, we decided to move on to the Natural History Museum. Here again we walked around the displays that interested us the most, including a walk through a live butterfly exhibit. The museums were certainly very busy in the most popular exhibits, and I think a lot of people were trying to escape the worst of the heat and humidity outside.  Setting Sun  Monuments at dusk  Night time city view
We slowly walked back to our hotel taking in the butterfly and sculpture gardens and just enjoying all the sights we were seeing. An early dinner was needed today as we had tickets for a ride on a double-decker ex-London bus as the sun was setting. This was an enjoyable experience for sure although trying to take any decent pictures of the floodlit buildings from a moving bus was just about impossible.
What an amazing day it had been and we were shattered, but we hadn’t wasted a single minute of our busy day. My only regret was not having my swimming cossie with me so I could use the rooftop swimming pool on the hotel, because even when the sun went down it was still really hot.
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What a fabulous trip to washington. it looks a very interesting place to visit. I would love theNational Museum of American History . You certainly packed a lot into your visit.
Best wishes
Sherran