Wednesday, August 8
This
morning we got up a wee bit early to get a scrumptious breakfast at a nearby
Waffle House. Did you know that Vienna doesn't like waffles? What a weirdo.
So, Andy and I enjoyed our breakfast and Vienna's company and then it was
off to the James Monroe museum in Fredricksburg. It was a small museum but
we enjoyed it and learned a few things. His Monroe Doctrine that outlines
our country's policy against further European colonization of North and South
America is still relied upon today. Otherwise, he had a pretty easy presidency
and called it the "Era of Good Feelings" after the war of 1812.
From
there, it was a short drive to Mount Vernon - President Washington's home.
Probably the most elaborate of homes, it was actually modestly furnished in
my opinion. He considered himself a farmer and, even though he was a very
rich man, most of his furniture was very simple and elegant in taste as opposed
to the ostentatious furnishings we have seen in other places (think: John
Tyler). It was very hot so we did not stay as long as we could or should have
but we did enjoy the hands-on exhibit for kids(right). Here they had corncobs
as arrows to be thrown through a hoop and a life-sized cutout of Washington
for you to "measure up" to him.
After that, we went on to DC. We have decided that we like the traveler's coupon books you get at travel information centers. We have now found two great deals. Tonight we are staying in the Harrington Hotel, very close to the mall in DC at a very modest price. It is a lovely old hotel, which is within walking distance of the mall, the White House, and Ford's theater, which we will see tomorrow. Once we got our room, we took the metro (our favorite form of transportation in the capitol) to Arlington Cemetery where we saw President Taft's gravesite.
This was another quick stop but it was an ordeal to get there, mainly because of the heat and how far we had to walk in it. Arlington is pretty big - Taft is even pretty close to the entrance but we were worn out getting to him. We were so worn out that we asked a couple of taxi drivers how much to take us to the FDR memorial which is probably less than a mile away. The first told us over $10 which we didn't have and wouldn't give him if we did - just a matter of principle and because I am a cheapskate. The second said eight and we said "no." Then, he made the mistake of asking how much we had. I said $5.00. I had a ten bucks, but we needed five for the metro trip home. He reluctantly accepted our offer but would only take us as far as the Lincoln memorial saying he had never done that before - "first time, first time." I said, "Yeah right," under my breath. I think taxi drivers are suckers for tired looking tourists with kids who are willing to give up their last dollars.
Anyway,
it was well worth it. We passed by Lincoln on our way to our favorite memorial
- FDR. We love this one because of its splendid
beauty, craftsmanship, evocative nature and, oh yeah, it has
waterfalls to put your tired, hot feet in. We lingered at the cool ponds
of water for about 20 minutes before enjoying the rest of the monument,
which really is a work of art. Andy taught Vienna some things about FDR and
I enjoyed the statue of Eleanor. Vienna liked
Fala the dog best. Once we were done enjoying our favorite DC exhibit, we
had another long walk to get to the nearest metro station, only to ride for
two stops, maybe about 10-12 blocks. We ate at Friday's, which was a less
than great experience, and we are now ready for a great night's sleep after
such a tough day. But we did get four more presidents done and have really
enjoyed our nation's capitol. Tomorrow, I am getting up super early to try
to get White House tour tickets. Wish me luck!
