. . . and afternoon at church.
Mount Vernon and Washington National Cathedral topped the list of stops on day two of our trip to DC. We kicked-off Wednesday morning by heading back up to Capitol Hill for our group photo. Each student will receive a large print of the annual group photo, taken in front of the U.S. Capitol Building. Who knew it would take so long to line-up 47 kids from tallest to shortest?
Our first big stop of the morning was Ford's Theatre, site of the 1865 assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. We enjoyed a special treat this year at Ford's, a one act play entitled One Destiny. The play recounts, through the eyes of the theatre owner and one of its actors, the events of that fateful day in April 1865. This is the first year that we've seen a performance at Ford's.
On a tight schedule today, we had lunch on the ride out to George and Martha's place. What a beautiful day to spend time out at Mount Vernon. Walking through the mansion and around the grounds, it's not hard to imagine what it would have been like in the late-1790s. The educational center, essentially a hands-on museum, could really occupy an entire day. I think that we able to give the kids a good overview of what they have to offer.
By 2:00, we were back on the bus for a ride all the way up to NW Washington and the Washington National Cathedral. The second largest cathedral in the U.S. and the sixth largest in the world, the National Cathedral always blows kids away with its size and beauty. After several visits there, I am still in awe of its Gothic architecture and amazing stained glass.
Our next stop was a photo op at the White House. Usually a fairly routine part of our tour, today's visit put us in Lafayette Square just as the President's motorcade was leaving the White House. This gave the students a glimpse of what moving the President entails, including completely shutting down rush hour traffic for over an hour.
Our final stop in the District was a visit to the National World War II Memorial. We missed this stop last year's, and I was determined to not let that happen again. It makes for a nice ending to a long day, with kids having a chance to sit along the enormous water features within the memorial. Hopefully seeing the some 400 stars, each representing 1000 American men and women killed in action, drove home the real price that our country has paid in the name of freedom.
We wrapped-up day two with dinner and shopping at the Potomac Mills Outlet Mall here in Woodbridge, VA. We'll have early start tomorrow as we load up at 6:30 for a trip to Gettysburg, PA. We'll spend the afternoon in Lancaster County, PA, experiencing Amish Country.
Until next time . . .
For today's picture collection, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment