Our last city in our trip was Washington DC. So many places that we are aware of, through film and television and it was good to see them for ourselves.
Washington seemed to have two parts, the working capital of the USA and a tourist location. We walk three soggy days and saw sites such as The White House, The Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington Memorial and many more memorials acknowledging Americas past.
The other “big deal” in Washington is the Smithsonian Museums. There are over 20 museums, all world class and all free. You would need an entire holiday to see them all but the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was the big one for me. Or, as it happens, the two Air and Space Museums, one in DC and the other, Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, in Chantilly, VA.
Both were excellent and the Udvar-Hazy Center holds such craft as the Space Shuttle Discovery, an SR-71 Blackbird, the Enola Gay and so many other last-of or one-of aircraft displayed from floor and ceiling. Have a look at the floor plan to get some idea of the vast area.
And not to be outdone, The museum in DC has amongst its collection the Bell X-1 (the first aircraft to break the sound barrier), an X-15 and the original Wright Flyer, the airplane that started it all.
Additionally, we saw a marching band that had travelled from Texas to perform at the WWII Memorial and did not let the rain stop the show. Again just good timing to share the experience.
A very good trip but it was time to come home.
0 Comments