Monuments and Zoo

On Monday we started our sight seeing adventure in DC. The first big thrill for the girls was taking the Metro train system through the city. I think they would have been happy just riding that all day long! Traveling with the grandparents had many benefits and this day really proved it. They took the girls to the National Zoo, which the girls had asked about since the minute our plane landed. They were really excited to see the giant pandas.

While they were off enjoying the zoo, Tom and I got some time to check out some of the sights on our own. We spent most of our time walking through the monuments. It was really nice to spend time looking and reading without concern about the girls. I also enjoyed having extra time to put into my photography.

By far my favorite memorial was the Franklin D Roosevelt memorial. It is truly amazing and thought provoking. While most of the monuments are impressive to look at this one was a bit more interactive as you walk through the stone walls and statues to wonderful waterfalls.
Along the way there were the most wonderful quotes carved into the walls. You would think the quotes were written about the issues that our nation is dealing with at this moment instead of seventy years ago.

It certainly seems like our current leaders could learn plenty from just taking a daily walk through this powerful monument. And it would certainly be a powerful experience for our youth to spend time really processing the words and symbols

The weather was perfect and it really was a wonderful time spent in our nation's capital. For my flickr photostream click here.