Waking
up in probably the worst mood ever resulted in my almost totally disregarding
D.C and heading straight for Tennessee. I was annoyed, hot, and lazy. I forced
myself off the couch around 9 and made myself coffee, finished a cup of jo, and
researched vet schools in the country. When I found out Harvard has a vet
school I called Diana to tell her I was applying to Harvard next year ha! 
I
don't know if it was the coffee or talking to the always funny Diana but my bad
mood was lifted. Oh yes, and the next-door-neighbor Bill also offered me some
creamer for my coffee and chatted with me for a bit, so I suppose the friendly
conversations of the morning got me ready for the upcoming long day. Pulling on
some jeans, a T, and my baseball cap I headed for the Metro. Like you're
average day blonde it took me over five minutes to figure out how to use the
swipe cards - then I figured out the always successful method of watching
someone else do it, brilliant. 
Transferring to the red line was much easier, as
I just had to sit exactly where I was - this is important later. Once in D.C I
called Debbie to find out where to go to get the double-decker bus tickets.
With her ever helpful directions I found my way, purchased the 55 dollar deluxe
package and went on my way. That may sound like a lot but by the time my 7
hours of touring was all said and done I would have only seen half as much had
I not purchased the whole package. First stop - the capital. Sadly, as this
shows how uneducated I truly am, every time I saw pictures of the capital
building I just assumed it was the white house. Yes, here I am, baring it all
for you! I am dumb.
Well not anymore! I toured the inside of the gorgeous
capital building! In the beginning we watch a 13 minute video - to which I
mused about how conflict free the video is. I wish views of this country were
so simple. When we got to the tomb area of the capital I really badly wanted to
stand on the star that marks the exact center of DC but our tour guide was a
stiff so not a single one of us got to have that joy. I thought about being
rebellious and sneaking back in when the tour guide wasn't looking but I didn't
want "kicked out of nations capital" stamped on my record. Hi, I'm
goody two shoes - nice to meet you. ugh. Anyway - we moved on to a bunch of
dead peoples statues and that was that. Nice experience. I learned that when
the house/senate is in session, they raise a flag above that wing of the
building - that day only the house [ I think ] was in :) The next time I hopped
on the double-decker we had the funniest tour guide ever!! I didn't even want
to get off the bus, in fact I waited a few stops past mine just to listen to
him. 
He asked everyone where they were from when they came up the stairs. There
were people from Australia, England, Germany, Scotland, Sweden, Canada,
Minnesota [me ha!], Jersey, and Chicago. What a bunch!! I got off at Lincoln
Memorial and made my way backward toward the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial.
Upon getting off the bus I walked over to the Vietnam memorial first. It was
heart wrenching how many names were engraved along the wall - and even more
heart wrenching to see the old veterans in their wheel chairs sitting and
looking up at all the names, contemplative looks on their faces. 
I smiled and
nodded at every vet I could until I got to the little sandwich shop - which is
a total rip off I might add, my sandwich, yogurt, and sweet tea cost me 11
bucks. In the Lincoln Memorial kids were crowding all around me and yelling all
sorts of crap while I stood looking waaaay up at Lincolns huge head and
enormous hands. Funny, because I don't remember anyone being around when I was
a little kid and went to DC. The Martin Luther Kind, Jr. exhibit is really
awesome. They made a "mountain of despair" and cut out "a stone
of hope" with that quote on one side and MLK Jr. carved out of the front.
Along this wall behind him are quotes from speeches he gave all across the
country and in Sweden. I hopped back on the bus, and to my despair not only was
in not my tour guide but there wasn't a tour guide at all - for the rest of my
buses - just an audio dude. I got off at Arlington Cemetery and proceeded to
the women’s memorial. 
I watched a video of Vietnam nurses. It was just heart
wrenching. The stories the women told and how it was for them when they got
back - nobody wanted to talk about it and they were looked down on. I know the
country wasn't behind the war but these people still put their lives on the
line for us. Anyway, no politics here!
In Arlington I walked all the way to the
Tomb of The Unknown Soldier and watched the changing of the guards, again - I
remember us being the only people there when I was younger. I really think we
went during the off season. Walking back down the hill I stopped and filled my
water bottle at a spicket in the ground. Only after I started drinking the
water did I realize that was the hose hookup - I hope that wasn't disrespectful.
It tasted like drinking water from a hose ha! Once back on the bus I had one
more stop - the White House. 
I got off the bus, walked around like a chicken
with my head cut off, and after asking a group of police officers, found my
way. It's fun looking in the windows imagining whose looking out at you and
whether the President is in there ha! I found my way back to the metro. While
standing in line I stood over a foot to read something and when I went up to
the kiosk the girls behind me starting sarcastically talking about how
"the girl in front of them" must not have known there was a line,
that or I liked to be rude. Dumb girls. Here's where my earlier story comes
into play. Left to my own devices I ended up getting on the train to Virginia
instead of Maryland. So, nice little 25 minute excursion - not! When I finally
made it back to Gerry's I was hungry! He made us t-bone steaks, wild rice, and
sweet corn. DELICIOUS! Afterward we had Boston cream pie, which I must say was
also scrumptious. Needless to say, I had a great time in DC. Beautiful city,
nice [enough] people, and more stuff than I could do in a year - let alone two
days. Today is my last little soirée before I head to Delaware! 
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