I’m continuing our Washington, DC family vacation re-cap with the seemingly endless trek we took to see some monuments and memorials. The boys are good walkers. We go stroller-less to theme parks, zoos and on long shopping excursions. They can hang all day as long as we take breaks here and there. Given our confidence in their walking ability, we thought we would take them to see some sights when the Metro dropped us off smack in the middle of the National Mall.
The walk to the Washington Monument didn’t look that far in person. So, we set out to see it. We thought we’d see if there were still tickets available to ride up to the top. That is a joke! Apparently the line for tickets begins forming at 6 AM and it was about 10 AM when we showed up. They were, of course, sold out.
So, we decided to continue on to the World War II Memorial since it was just on the other side of the Washington Monument. I’m so glad we did because it is breathtaking. The boys got to sit down and rest their tired feet for a while.
It was the Saturday before Memorial Day so there were red, white and blue flower arrangements laid out everywhere. It was a perfect spot to take some time out to reflect on those who paid the ultimate price for our country and our freedom.
The photo above might be the best in terms of framing, lighting, editing, what have you. But I wanted to post it here because this was my favorite part of the WWII Memorial. The Freedom Wall with the 4,000 stars reflected in the still water of the pool below was so beautiful. The stars commemorate the more that 400,000 Americans who sacrificed their lives.
Since we had already walked so far, we figured we would continue our westward journey to the Lincoln Memorial. I showed the boys the backside of a penny and told them that was where we were going. They thought that was pretty cool. So, off we went walking along the side of the Washington Monument Reflecting Pool. Dodging duck poo left and right…
The boys were quite tired by the time we’d reached the halfway point of the Reflecting Pool. J and I did our best to stop for drinks, sit on benches and take turns carrying the boys toward our final destination. It was slow going and HOT but we finally made it!
The boys looked like they wanted an air conditioned nap when we arrived! Poor boys! They were such troopers. I was proud of them for making it all that way.
The Lincoln Memorial was so crowded! We had to inch our way through the people to get a decent shot of Abe.
After a few more quick photos, J and I decided to have mercy on Wildman and Cutie Pie. We hailed a taxi to take us back to the Air and Space Museum! The boys were so happy!!! It was an opportunity to sit down and it was their first ride in a cab.
It was the best $9.50 we have ever spent.
Adventures of Four 