Cruising the National Mall – Washington D.C.

It was a beautiful late summer morning in 2009 when Lindsay and I woke up in the heart of Washington D.C ready to explore our nation’s capital. She had just meet me the night before after a week long business trip of mine and we had checked-in to a cute little boutique hotel in the heart of the city. We had only a couple days in D.C and we dedicated almost the entire first day to exploring the beautiful National Mall (a large national park in the middle of the city that has all the famous landmarks). We started by walking up to the Capitol Building to admire its grandeur and architecture. We got there fairly early in the morning so the crowds had not yet arrived and we felt like we had almost the entire place to ourselves. We then traveled on down to the amazing Washington Monument and admired its simplicity and beauty. The sun was just starting to come out at this time and the numerous American Flags that surround the monument (all flying at half staff to remember Senator Kennedy) were absolutely beautiful against the backdrop of the blue sky. We then traveled to the absolutely stunning World War II monument with its numerous fountains, statues, etc. We then hit up the Korean and Vietnam War memorials which were humbling and beautiful. We were really touched by both of these memorials and they are designed so beautiful and really do a great job of helping you reflect on the sacrifices of the great men & women who fought in those battles. It was then on to the National Museum of American History which we both loved. We were especially moved by the battered and torn American Flag that inspired the “Star Spangled Banner.” We had already explored the White House and Lincoln Memorial the night before so we ended the day by exploring the beautiful, and extremely humbling, Arlington Cemetery. We both LOVED the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” and sat and watched the lonely march of the guarding soldier for probably about an hour. We then walked down to the famous Marine Memorial which depicts the Marines raising the flag together on Iwo Jima. It felt as if we had this entire monument to ourselves and we sat there marveling at it for probably another hour. The sun was just starting to set over the city and it was the perfect ending to a wonderful day exploring all of the treasures on the National Mall. Normally when Lindsay and I travel we are always rushing to explore as much as possible before we move on to the next destination. However, on this particular day we simply walked slowly holding each others hands and it was absolutely the perfect day. If you ever want to rekindle your love for the United States spend a day walking the National Mall in Washington D.C.