Although we actually began our trip (Friday, October 9) with a couple of days in NC, we traded the tranquility of the mountains of western NC for the hustle and bustle of one of the busiest capitals in the world on Monday, October 12th.  It was about an 8-hour drive, but after the 2-day, 20-hour drive from Waco to NC this seemed like a walk in the park!  We also chose to stop in route at the Chancellorsville Battleground National Park to obtain information for next year's trip to Civil War battlefields (why "learn" about the war from a text when you can visit the actual sites?!).  Once we checked into our hotel and met up with a couple of moms who flew into D.C. for this portion of our trip, we left for our first foray into D.C., to view some of the most famous of the monuments and memorials at night.  

The Lincoln Memorial is unquestionably one of the most impressive sights in D.C., but to see it at night, with the stars above and the lights below, is even more inspiring.  After parking our van on Constitution Avenue we walked along the Vietnam Memorial wall, stopping to locate the name of a relative of one of our students who fought and died in that conflict.  Talk about bringing history to life!  The tremendous sacrifices made by our nation's youth at that critical stage in our history was underscored by sharing this family's personal loss.  The Korean Memorial may not have been as personal, but was just as emphatic in making the point that freedom comes at a price.  "Freedom is not free."  The students spent a lot of time in front of the mural depicting all the different branches of the military that engaged in that conflict.  Our last stop for the night -- about 11:30 p.m. -- was the relatively new WWII Memorial.  We would return to this later to see it by day, find the pedestal dedicated to Texas, and talk more about the two theatres of the war (Atlantic and Pacific) to which this memorial is dedicated.   

 

Day Two in D.C. began with an introduction to the metro (first time experience for most of our kids).  We had an 11:30 tour time for the Capitol.  The Visitors' Center for the Capitol was just completed in 2008 so this was the first time for all of us to enter the Capitol via this impressive entrance.  The tour included both wings of the Capitol (House and Senate) as well as a couple of currently unused areas like the original senate chamber and subsequent early home for the Supreme Court.  We also got to view the next senate chamber (but not the final home) where the pre-Civil War debates took place.  You could easily imagine hearing Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, or John Calhoun rising to give their perspectives on various slavery proposals or compromises!  Upon the conclusion of the tour we went through the security procedures to sit in both the House and Senate galleries (to listen in on any business being conducted).  Unfortunately, not much was happening in either chamber, but the experience was not without value.  

 

After the Capitol tour and spending time in the galleries we had a couple of hours before needing to make our way back to the hotel.  We spent that time at the Library of Congress (the most beautiful and spectacular interior design in the entire city in my opinion) and the American Indian Museum, with a stop to play spectator at a demonstration taking place in front of the Capitol on national immigration policies -- a chance to see democracy in action!.  We also strolled down a makeshift street located in the mall in front of the Washington Monument to see a couple dozen small houses being completely powered with solar energy.  Each was sponsored by a different college from around the nation, utilizing design features unique to its students.  After a return to the WWII Memorial we braved the metro once again, located our van, and drove through "Embassy Row" on our way out of the city.  The students were able to see a part of DC (residential and diplomatic) not often visited on traditional visits to the area.

 

Day Three (our last full day in the district), unlike the previous two days, was overcast and rainy (off and on).  We started the day with a visit with Congressman Chet Edwards.  I was surprised when we were ushered into Chet's office for a full thirty minute visit with the congressman.  He was genuinely interested in the school and the students.  He talked about his job as a congressman and even graciously answered a question from one of the kids concerning his salary, admitting it was pretty generous!  One point he wanted to make to our students concerned the importance of disagreeing (especially in the political arena) with others in a respectful manner.  He acknowledged the reality of diverse opinion in a land populated with so many people from such differing backgrounds, but encouraged the students to debate our different opinions without resorting to personal attack or rancor, an important principle to remember if democracy is to function as intended.  When we debriefed the trip earlier this week this comment was mentioned by one of our students as a highlight of her memories of the trip, so the kids were indeed listening to you, Chet!

 

After our visit with the congressman we spent the rest of the day in museums, visiting the American Art Museum briefly (ate lunch in their cafeteria), the Natural History Museum in more depth, and the National Portrait Museum at the end of the day.  We also received a brief -- and free -- tour of the Spy Museum, arriving at closing time but making the manager feel sufficiently generous to offer a personally guided, albeit abbreviated, 30 minute tour of his establishment! 

 

These two days of sightseeing were not designed to "see it all."  That's simply not possible in this city!  Rather, I wanted to give the kids a taste for their capital and whet their appetite to return, hopefully again and again.  As a school we will likely include DC on each fall semester's travel experience to the east coast, focusing on different aspects each trip.  Next year, for instance, I'm hopeful we can fly to Boston to begin a 2-week trip, visiting Revolutionary War era sites, rent a van and make our way down the coast through NYC to DC, including a few presidential homesteads (Montecello, Montpelier, and Mt. Vernon) and Colonial Williamsburg along the way!  This should be a great trip and help bring to life the colonial era in our nation's history.