Washington!

It was hot! Humid,too. And traffic everywhere you looked. But a good day in spite of the aforementioned detractors.

We got up, ate breakfast (semi-deluxe) and headed to the Arlington National Cemetary, some 2.5 miles away. Only took about 35 minutes to get there. The deal was to park there, purchase tickets to the Tourmobile, and ride it to the various points of interest.

There were two choices--one set of busses goes into DC and most of the monuments and buildings. The other set does tours of Arlington National Cemetery. Our tickets are good for both. We decided to take the city tour first and then do the cemetery.

So, we got on one of the busses and headed into DC. The first stop was at the Lincoln Memorial. Since both of already needed a potty stop, we got off and looked at the memorial, which is very impressive. Next we walked over to see the Korean War Memorial, which was also very good. Then we walked to where they told us the bus pickup would be. They said a bus would be by there about every 25 minutes or so.

After about a half hour of waiting in a boiling sun, a bus pulled up. However it was the bus back to Arlington Cemetery. But the driver promised to take us over to the Vietnam War Memorial. So we got on that one. The driver lied! We made a loop and then back over the rive to Arlington!! We wasted about 45 minutes or an hour in the broiling sun for nothing.

We got on the next bus to go back into the city. This trip went better than the other one. we made it as far as the White House Welcome Center, where we got off intentionally (another potty stop!). They caught me with my new knife, so I thought I'd lose it. However, a nice looking young female guard said she'd hold it and return it to me when I left (which she did).

We then walked over to the Washington Monument, a very impressive structure on a pretty hill. I'm always impressed with that monument in our capital.

From there, we got back on a Tourmobile and rode the route back to Arlington, where we boarded a bus to the cemetery. It's a beautiful, peaceful place. Our luck improved there; we arrived just in time to witness the changing of the guards. Very impressive ceremony. Some high-school aged kids gave a wreath which was displayed as a part of the ceremony. This sight is worth seeing.

Back on the bus, we rode back to the terminal and boarded another bus to the city. This time, we didn't get off, but instead decided what we'll see tomorrow.

If it weren't for the traffic and heat, it would have been a very good day. It was still good, but somewhat tiring and trying.

Tomorrow--more of the same and head to home.