Washington DC, Days 4 & 5

We've reached the end of our 5-day visit to Washington DC.  With so much of the city under our belts from our first, second, and third days of exploring (click on the words for links to see each of the days), it made sense that our last two days fit into just one blog post.  We started day four at the Natural Museum of American History, checking out artifacts from our country's past, including US presidential items like Lincoln's hat and footage from JFK's assassination.

We moved on to pop-cultural US history, checking out friends and items from various different heroes in our lives.

We wandered through more of history and then decided to venture back to The National Mall and head towards The White House.  While we had visited it on our very first day, we realized we needed to be on the other side in order to get the best view.  It really is beautiful to see in person and be able to take in as a piece of our country's history.  We closed out day 4 here, rode scooters back to a small park area in the city, and had dinner in the park (a pretty regular part of life for us).

On our last day, it ended up being a bit more dreary and misty than the rest of our visit.  We spent a short time at the Botanical Gardens, then headed to the National Air and Space Museum for a bit.  I'm always a sucker for the history of photography and cameras, so I enjoyed reading about the Wright brothers' interest in photography and how the history of the very first flight was captured. 

During our exploration, we had the chance to see so many planes, both larger-than-life displays and models you could hold in your hands.  Emma also got to try her hand at a flight simulator; it was fun to watch her enjoy trying something new.

We continued on to see flight in outer space through a model of our solar system.  We also saw various other pieces of space artifacts that showed us up close and personal how our history and future were both impacted by the brave people willing to explore new adventures.

Since it was our final afternoon in DC, my husband asked if I had anything I wanted to try and photograph again before we left.  While I was able to get the Three Servicemen Memorial by the Vietnam Wall on our first pass, I somehow missed the Vietnam Women's Memorial.  It seemed so fitting to be photographing a statue that was dedicated to the women who cared for the heartbreak of the war in the rain.

As a final farewell, we decided to see if the Reflecting Pool might have been officially filled for the spring.  However, what we discovered was a still empty pool with just enough rain gathered in it to get a small reflection of the Washington Memorial through it.  Side note: if you ever see my husband, ask him to see the shot HE took of Emma and me getting this photo.  It's fantastic and I rather love it.

I hope you enjoyed coming along on our journey to visit our nation's capital!  We enjoyed getting a closer look at the memorials built to pay tribute to what our country has gone through to become the nation it is today.  May we always remember how beautiful our freedom is when partnered with responsibility, but that the cost of freedom is never free.

Until next time,