We packed a whole lot of sight-seeing into our few days in Washington D.C. First, we did a walking tour of several miles in order to visit the major monuments and memorials around the ‘National Mall’. The World War Two Memorial was our first stop. Its sunken location and splashing fountains make it a fitting tribute to those who fought in that war. We then walked along the ‘Reflecting Pool’ to see the grand Lincoln Memorial, in which Lincoln’s statue sits regally on a huge chair. Lincoln saw the US through some of its toughest days in history during the Civil War. Allan read out the Gettysburg Address to our family, which was engraved on the memorial’s wall. Looking out from the steps of the building we saw the view that Martin Luther King Jr. saw (minus the thousands of people of course) when he gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in 1962. 
On either side of the Lincoln Memorial sit two other memorials, honoring the sacrifices of the soldiers at Vietnam and Korea. The facial expressions on the statues at these two memorials showed the anguish, heart-break, and determination that the soldiers must have felt. We continued on to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. This president also witnessed his country going through difficult historical periods, namely the 1930s Depression and World War II. The rock walls and waterfalls reminded me of strong mountains, and there were many famous quotes displayed. Allan and I were both surprised and impressed with this unique monument. As we walked around the peaceful Tidal Basin we soon arrived at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Once described as ‘the muffin’, I thought the round building looked very elegant along the waterfront. It honors a president who was one of the major writers of the Declaration of Independence which called for equality for all people, and one’s rights to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’. We ended our tour of the memorials by going up to the top of the 500-foot tower in the middle of the National Mall, called the Washington Monument. From there we had great views including the White House, the Capitol, and the entire ‘mall’ area. 
Part of the National Mall is taken up with the numerous museums that make up the Smithsonian Institute. We were delighted to be able to go through several of them.
The Holocaust Museum described the heart-rending story of the Jewish people and other minorities in Europe during World War II. On a lighter note, was the Museum of Natural History that had displays of animals from all over the world, as well as geological wonders. We saw the famous Hope Diamond there. We also went to the Air and Space Museum which told the story of air travel from the days of the Wright Brothers to the modern Space Shuttle. There was also a section there called Treasures from American History; I was delighted to see things like an autographed baseball of Babe Ruth, Albert Einstein’s pipe, R2D2 and C3PO, Dorothy’s red shoes and the scarecrow costume from The Wizard of Oz, a cotton gin, George Washington’s uniform, Helen Keller’s watch, General Custer’s coat, an original John Deere wooden plow, and Abraham Lincoln’s top hat.
The Holocaust Museum described the heart-rending story of the Jewish people and other minorities in Europe during World War II. On a lighter note, was the Museum of Natural History that had displays of animals from all over the world, as well as geological wonders. We saw the famous Hope Diamond there. We also went to the Air and Space Museum which told the story of air travel from the days of the Wright Brothers to the modern Space Shuttle. There was also a section there called Treasures from American History; I was delighted to see things like an autographed baseball of Babe Ruth, Albert Einstein’s pipe, R2D2 and C3PO, Dorothy’s red shoes and the scarecrow costume from The Wizard of Oz, a cotton gin, George Washington’s uniform, Helen Keller’s watch, General Custer’s coat, an original John Deere wooden plow, and Abraham Lincoln’s top hat.
We have seen many ‘treasures from American history’ in our travels so far, but I think we’d all agree that the National Mall area of Washington D.C. contains many of them. We had a great time in this nation’s capital city.
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