Monuments Day

Today we made an earlier start to try to beat the heat and get a lot done.  We made our way on the Metro to get as close as we could to the Washington Monument - a very imposing pillar dominating the National Mall. It's also a great spot to view the other monuments - Lincoln Memorial, Whitehouse, Jefferson Memorial etc.

We kept going and made our way to the WWII memorial which was quite moving and quickly overtaken by a marching band practising for 4th July celebrations.  Next stop was the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial - very overwhelming in terms of the huge numbers of names listed as missing or dying in the war - over 50,0000 US. It was also very moving to see the number of Americans on pilgrimages to see relatives and friends names. You can see the size of the wall with my reflection and the numbers of names on it.

Star-Spangled Banner

Emily took this photo - the original Star-Spangled Banner, at the American History Museum. It's now 200 years old. The creator (and her 4 assistants)were paid the grand total of $406.25 - more than a year's wages at the time!!

Last stop of the day before we found dinner...

We thought as we were in the neighbourhood we should drop in on Obama and Michelle.  Lots of cars and special agents, but they didn't invite us in for a drink...so home to eat and put our feet up after a long but fun and educational day!!!

A few other notable points of interest - eg Dorothy's Ruby slippers

This was pretty special to find - click your heels 3 times and remember, "There's no place like home!"

 We had a glimpse into the life of Julia Child - and saw her kitchen used in the TV series where she educated Americans about the art of French cooking.  We saw a display on Edison and how the lightbulb was invented. We even found Miss Piggy!

American History Museum

I was especially keen to move on to the American History Museum to see the exhibits there.  We found our way through the heat, and were rewarded with the First Ladies' Collection - a collection of dresses donated by the presidents' wives - usually the inauguration ball dress.  Fascinating collection - especially to see the height and waist size of the women over the years.
Here are a couple...
Jackie O's dress 

Michelle Obama's 

More Smithsonian

We saw the Spirit of St. Louis - flown by Charles Lindbergh in the first transatlantic flight from NYC to Paris. Most amazing was that to fit in enough petrol, he sacrificed having a windscreen and had to look out of the side windows to take off and land.

The Wright brothers plane was here - they're credited with inventing the first, successfully flown plane able to carry people. 

 There were many other things to see here  - the first balloon that was flown around the world, a model of Sputnik - the first satellite, a show in a planetarium - enough to keep everyone fascinated. 

Wednesday 2nd July - The Smithsonian

So far Washington is great. A very different pace from Las Vegas, and a very different crowd (thank goodness).  We're staying in a great spot - DuPont Circle, right near the Embassies - an older, established and lovely part of town, but with a younger crowd moving in, meaning lots of good restaurants and cafés.

Our legs are aching after a huge day exploring the a Smithsonian - Air and Space was the first stop.  There were endless things to see here, so we did a guided tour for 1.5 hours to see the highlights.  So many things here
 - the Apollo 11 Command Capsule which brought Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldren and Michael Collins back to earth after their mission to the moon.

The spacesuits worn on the moon mission.