washington dc - day 8

We headed back towards the Baltimore airport but had about a half-day to fill, so we stopped at the National Cryptologic Museum which is part of the National Security Agency (NSA).  Cryptology is code-breaking and I thought the boys would enjoy this museum. They probably would have liked it, except our tour was just our family and a group of older ladies, so the tour guide did not make it very kid-friendly. I must not have been very interested either because I didn't even take any pictures!

Our last stop of the trip was Fort McHenry in Baltimore.  This is the place during the Battle of 1812 that Francis Scott Key saw the flag flying which inspired The Star Spangled Banner.  I learned so much and was so inspired here.  I will never hear our National Anthem the same again or without thinking of Fort McHenry.

We are so grateful we had this opportunity to visit Washington DC and Baltimore.  It was a wonderful trip celebrating the history of the United States and enjoying eight days together making memories as a family.  We are so blessed to live in the free country and for those who have sacrificed so much to make and keep it that way.

washington dc - day 7

Our first stop of the day was at the Holocaust Museum.  Not an especially fun one, but it's important to learn from history and remember and honor those whose lives were sacrificed.

The afternoon was more fun at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving watching millions of dollars of bills being printed.  We took this picture of Natalie in the gift shop, but no photos were allowed on the tour.  It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!

We finished up our time on the Mall at the National Archives, which is where the original Declaration of Independence, the original Constitution, and the original Bill of Rights are located, as well as the Magna Carta from the year 1297. No photos were allowed in those exhibits.

Our last stop in Washington DC was the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  It's the largest Catholic church in North America. The kids have never been in a cathedral like this, and it was right near where we were staying.  It was beautiful in it's own unique way, but none of us felt the Spirit there. 

washington dc - day 6

Sunday morning we attended Sacrament Meeting at a local ward.  I told the kids we would try to keep the rest of the Sabbath Day somewhat holy and and not do any museums and just relax and walk around Arlington Cemetery and the monuments.  It turns out this was actually our longest, hardest walking day -- 8.6 miles in about 5 hours -- oops!

Arlington Cemetery - changing of the guard and John F. Kennedy grave

Lincoln Memorial - which was extremely crowded (we found out that they were actually filming scenes for a TV show)

We apparently took no photos at the Vietnam Memorial!
This is the World War II memorial (photo only shows half) which had a place for each state.

 The Washington Monument

The Jefferson Memorial

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial

 Martin Luther King Memorial

Korean War Memorial

After dinner, we drove up to the Washington DC temple. It is closed for construction for two years, but at least we got to see it and enjoy the visitors center.

washington dc - day 5

Saturday we went to Mount Vernon, which was George Washington's home.  We expected to be there a few hours, but there was just so much to see and do we ended up spending about 5 hours there!  There was not only the home, but the property, his tomb, and the museum (which included George Washington's wooden teeth!).  And it is set beautifully along the Potomac River.  We even saw Air Force One fly over!

On our way back, we visited the Pentagon Memorial.

And our last stop of the day was at the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial, which also provided some great views.

washington dc - day 4

Our first stop of the day was the Library of Congress.  We got there not long after it opened and we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  Kevin and the boys walked through an exhibit on the history of baseball, and Natalie and I walked around and I took way too many photos of the amazing architecture. It is probably the most beautiful building in Washington DC.

Next we had a Capitol tour booked.  We met our tour guide (an intern) at our Congressman's office. He was not the most interesting or knowledgeable guide and it was extremely crowded everywhere we went, but the Capitol was as impressive as ever.  It is impossible for photos to do it justice.

 

 

Our tour was much more detailed than the public tours.  We got to see the old Supreme Court room, and the old House and Senate rooms. 

Brigham Young statue!

At the end of our tour we were given tickets to go inside the House and Senate chambers. After waiting in line, leaving ALL of our belongings, and another security checkpoint, we got to look inside the House of Representatives (not in session).  We waited for awhile to view the Senate chambers, but apparently they were finishing a motion. They weren't sure how much longer it would be before opening it to the public, so we skipped that. 

We walked across the street to see the Supreme Court building.  This is one of my favorite photos of the whole trip.

The only way to see the Supreme Courtroom is to attend a lecture.  None of us were too thrilled at that idea, but they were starting one right then so we didn't have to wait. I told the kids it was a once-in-a-lifetime place to see and they could take a nap.  They really should re-name the "lecture" - it was only 20 minutes and it explained the whole process of how cases get to the Supreme Court, what the justices do, how they are nominated and appointed, and then they opened it up for questions and answers.  It was extremely interesting and I learned so much.  It was particularly relevant as they had just appointed a brand new justice (Kavanaugh) the previous week. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the courtroom. But it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for me and Kevin!

As if that wasn't enough for a day, we got ice cream from a sketchy food truck (family joke) and continued on and spent 3 hours at the Air and Space Museum.  Kevin and the boys really enjoyed it,  Natalie hated it, and I was just too tired to care--except the space shuttle room, that will always hold a special place in my heart.