Tuesday...
Once again we started off the morning at the Crystal City
Sport's Pub for breakfast, before heading to Mount Vernon. It was very hot, (at
one point the heat index was 110!) but we managed to survive. Personally,
George Washington is my favorite president and one of my heroes, so I was very excited
to see his estate. It was beautiful, and in addition to the house, Mount Vernon
also features a barn, two gardens, and orchard, and many animals. It was the
most like Iowa that any of us had seen in a week, and despite the grueling
temperatures we couldn't all help but to appreciate it. Inside, we were able to
cool off in the education center, which goes through George Washington's life
chronologically, as well as a special exhibit about the enslaved people who worked
at Mount Vernon.
After Mount Vernon we headed to Arlington National Cemetery.
This is sacred ground for all Americans, and was incredible to see in real
life. We were lucky that in addition to the regular tour stops, we were able to
witness the changing of the guard and lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown
soldier. Witnessing such ceremonies and the grave sites of so many soldiers
caused us all to reflect on what it means to be American and gain a new respect
for those who have fought and made the ultimate sacrifice for our
country.
For supper we picked up burgers from Five Guy's (SO GOOD!)
before heading to the Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial. The parade was
incredible. Both the Marine Corp band and silent color guard performed, and making
for a spectacular show. As someone who is in marching band, I can attest that
they really are the best of the best. Not only were all members perfectly
in-sync with each other, but the music was perfectly in tune as well. After the
beautiful performance, we were able to meet some of the Marines.
The last thing we did before heading back to the hotel was
seeing the Pentagon 9/11 memorial. I personally have seen all 9/11 memorials,
and have found them all to be very moving, so it was no surprise that the
Pentagon memorial was just as incredible and beautiful. The memorial features
benches for each of the 184 victims from the attack, organized according to
their birth year. It was a lot to take in, but overall was beautiful and
moving.
Tuesday was a very busy day, with a lot of time spent in the
heat. While some parts of the day were uncomfortable in the heat, none of us
would have traded our experiences for anything. All of us are very thankful to
our Co-ops for investing in us and funding our trips to D.C.; it's been an
amazing experience.
Want to see all the photos we took on Tuesday? Go here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/IowaYouthTour/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1758421720841740
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