A Monumental Day in Washington, DC

Day 9 – Moored, Washington, DC

We didn't waste a minute of our time in D.C. As soon as Cups was secured on her mooring and tidied up, we headed ashore to check in with the Gangplank Marina, get the lay of the land and begin exploring. The day was glorious … warm and sunny. Washington's many monuments were first on our list of must-sees. We were only a 15-minute walk from the National Mall and headed first to the Washington Monument. Though the monument was closed for maintenance, we weren't phased in the least. Just standing at its base and looking up was a thrill.

We continued along the National Mall to the World War II Memorial, a war in which our fathers fought.

We'd seen the Vietnam Memorial before, but Paul hadn't. The Vietnam Women's Memorial had been added since our last visit. Over 265,000 American women served during the Vietnam War era, 11,000 of whom were in Vietnam, mostly as nurses.

Then we moved on to The Wall. This was “our” war. David served during this war, as did many of our friends and relatives. We used the reference book to find the name of Jimmy Tazelaar, a close family friend of the Lynn family. Though many people were viewing the monument, the tenor was quiet and somber. Wreaths and bouquets, photographs and letters all lay in memory of the thousands who died in this war.

We followed the Mall to its end at the Lincoln Memorial and climbed the steep steps to pay tribute to our 16th President. It's an inspiring, grand monument to a great man.

On the south side of the Mall, we came across the Korean War Monument, very different and almost unnerving.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument was next on our path. Another inspiring memorial to a great man.

We crossed the Kutz Bridge over the Tidal Basin for great views of the Jefferson Memorial. During cherry blossom time, this must be an exquisite view.

In our wanderings, we also managed to take in the U S Navy Memorial.

There is no dearth of memorials, monuments, statues and public artwork in Washington, DC and though we didn't see them all, we were invigorated and enthused by what we did manage to see. They are somber and thought-provoking, but elicit a pride in our country that is heartening.

We walked over seven miles during the course of the day and when we returned to Nine of Cups, our dogs were definitely tired and we were “memorial-ed” out. A glass of wine, dinner, a movie and a good night's sleep. We recouped for another day in the capital city. Tomorrow, a tour of the Capitol.