Washington DC Trip - 2014

My first trip to Washington, DC was phenomenal!  I recently drove (yes 11.5 hrs) up to DC during the recent AEA vacation to visit our nation's capital.  I was so excited!  I absolutely love history especially American History, what a great opportunity to see our history in person.

I got the opportunity to visit the Library of Congress. The building was gorgeous, the architecture of each of these buildings is unique and very detailed.  I got the opportunity to see the actual book collections of Thomas Jefferson.  He believed that all books contained a great deal of education and insight that is one of the most valuable tools we could ever need.

We next moved to Union Station, which is one of the most historic rail stations in the U.S.  It was pretty large and inviting, with  crowds coming and going.  We didn't get the opportunity to actually ride on one of the trains but we did get to see this piece of history!  We did however decide to eat a snack in the food court, which contained pretty much any type of food you would want!

We next moved onto the Museums, including the Holocaust Museum, and the Smithsonian American History Museum.  While the Smithsonian was great in viewing our own American History, nothing quite compares to the World History involved with the Holocaust Museum.

The Holocaust Museum was a moving experience and contained many articles from that era in history with stories of many that survived the concentration camps and stories of those that empathized with the Jewish people and attempted to save them by either hiding them, or helping them escape the Nazi's.

Anyway you look at it, this was a very "moving and emotional" museum.  We were grateful to have had the opportunity to see it.

We also decided to see the White House even though we are not a fan of the current administration!  The front of the White House was blocked off as we arrived and we lately found out that President Obama had arrived from his recent European tour.  The White House was beautiful and surreal!

On to the monuments, including the Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Washington's Monument.  We have only seen these monuments on TV or in magazines, etc....but those images don't do these monuments justice!

These monuments are huge, very impressive pieces, made of the finest materials.  These monuments are a great reminder of our rich history.

The last place we visited was the Arlington National Cemetery.   We wanted to pay our respects to our nation's fallen soldiers, those that served our country.  We were fortunate enough to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the guard changeover.  This ceremony is a very special memorial to these soldiers that have never been identified. The guards that guard this tomb are a select few that pass a rigorous training. Watch below the video that we recorded of this actual ceremony!