Hike Info:
Type:Tourist
Walking: 5.5 miles
Description:
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Arlington Station
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Another 8am wake up. And
another no Holocaust
Museum
ticket. This time, Sherri is up about a half an hour after I am.
While not lacking energy, we do some to be relaxed. It is an oatmeal
type of morning. Sherri went and got her coffee and I made a batch of
oatmeal-it turns out I misjudged the size of the pan and made way
more than needed.
We get ready to leave. I
texted Trinity to tell her that the dishwasher is having issues. She
will send maintenance over after we leave. Which was about 11:30. We
go over to NoMa station and catch the Red Line to Metro Center. Then
switch over to the Blue Line. This takes us to the Arlington Cemetery
Station. Our primary destination today is Arlington. We are hoping to
see:
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Way into Arlington
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Like most of the area around
Washington, it seems like every building you go into you get
screened. Going into Arlington Cemetery is the same way. I am always
fearful that I will forget something, Like it did at LAX. Today, I
thought I misplaced the room keys. And I did-they were still in my
coat pocket and were not picked up by the screener. Once inside the
Visitor Center, we spent time looking over the history of the
Cemetery. It goes through how the concept of a national cemetery came
about due to the massive destruction of the Civil War. Robert E Lee’s
home was confiscated and turned into a cemetery. As time went on,
there were remains of those whom they could not be identified. After
World War I, movement in England and France was underway to honor
those who could not be identified; the United States followed suit
and created the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
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Row after row of markers
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With this background, we went
out into the gray of the afternoon drizzle-this would keep up all
day. Sherri and I decided to walk up the road to the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier. Just the sight of row after endless row of grave
markers is sobering to any human. Arlington is vast and the graves
seem immeasurable. The white of the markers against the green grass.
The flowering cherry and magnolia trees remind me that even in this
field of death, there is beauty and victory over death. We read
plaques along the way. These plagues commemorate units whose
companions fell in battle.
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Arlington House
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When we come to the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier, they are in the midst of the changing of the
guard ceremony. This is moving. I remember it from 54 years ago and
it still affects me. The crowds go away, but we stay along with a few
others. And then a new ceremony starts, the laying of the wreath.
Evidently anybody
can request this ceremony,
they just need to provide a wreath.. In this case, a Black family has
requested this. If anything, it is even more moving. Maybe it is the
sound of Tabs being played, or the sight of the wreath, or the
individual’s own personal grief., but it is even more moving.
Afterwards, we are able to talk with one of the guards involved. He
explains this is available to anybody and he shares that he gets
affected by it everytime.
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Changing of the guard
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One thing which the guard
mentioned was that at 2pm, there was going to be another ceremony
honoring multiple Medal of Honor recipients. Since that is only a
half an hour away, we decided to stick around. We first went up to
the USS Maine memorial, looked at it and moved on further up the
hill. I was hoping to get to the Rough Rider/Spanish-American War
Memorial, but the whole area was being reconstructed. By this time,
it was time to turn back and return to the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier.
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Columbia memorial
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By the time we arrive, there
is already a crowd-should have thought of that sooner. Also all of
the guard units are on site: a whole squadron on the steps by the
Tomb, the Pershing military band, an honor guard, a drummer, and a
trumpeter. For most of the ceremony, there was silence and stillness,
with occasional commands being said. The military band played the
Star-Spangled Banner, maybe the best rendition I have ever heard.
Then the drummer and trumpeter played Taps. In some ways, with the
crowd and lack of visibility, there did not seem as much magic. After
the ceremony ended, we departed.
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RFK's Grave
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As we walked to the Kennedy
Memorial, we talked about the feelings and thoughts we were having. I
said I had conflicting thoughts. First, seeing these endless markers,
I think of the bravery and sacrifice and dedication these people had.
How they were there serving their country and its ideas. I also saw
the futility of all of this. How there was never an end to war. How
death has not caused us humans to re-evaluate the cost and cause.
Arlington is symbolic of the cost of all human evil.
When we come to the Kennedy
memorial, the first place is an understated cross and marker saying
Robert
Francis Kennedy.
I ponder why this is not grander and come to no conclusion. Then we
move on to John F Kennedy’s eternal flame. We look at the markers
and his words. RFK's words still have the power to make our hearts
soar.
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John F Kennedy's Eternal Flame
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Kennedy Plaza
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WAVE Exhibit
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Now on to a bit more current
issues: finding a bathroom. The closest one is at the Military
Women’s Memorial,
close to the entrance. I am thinking this would be just a statue or
something. Instead, it is a large building in the shape of a half
moon. We found our bathroom. And I also saw a display about the
WAVES, which my mother was part of. I wonder what she would have
thought of this memorial? I think by this time, we were pretty worn
out, so we did not spend much time here and continued on our way.
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Netherlands Carillon
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Taft Grave Site
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Our next stop is the Marine
Corp War Memorial,
the memorial with the Marines on Iwo Jima. But first, we go past
President
Taft’s grave
and see it. We then walk along a path leading out of the Cemetery.
There is the Netherlands
Carillon.
We think of Arida here. Maybe that is the benefit of these memorials
and monuments: it causes me to remember, particularly people more
than things. We go along to the Iwo Jima Memorial and pause to
consider it. I think of our friend John who served as a Marine. And
then I notice the base has the various places and battles they were
involved in. This is good to remember. But I also notice there is
room for so many more. This is a depressing thought.I hope we never
fill the base. |
Key Bridge
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There is a wedding party
taking pictures a bit beyond the Memorial. I am thinking how cold we
are and how flimsy their outfits are-they must be really cold. This
may be the theme of our trip: where is the next bathroom? In this
case, it is just on the other side of the George
Washington Parkway.
We stop there and discuss what to do next? Our choices are to go to
the LBJ
Memorial Grove,
go back to our room, or go to Georgetown. Georgetown won because
there is a place we wanted to eat at: Good
Stuff Eatery.
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Good Stuff Eats
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Before getting to Georgetown,
we need to walk a bit. We go through Rossyln and then walk across Key
Bridge-think
Francis Scott Key of the Star-Spangled Banner fame. And quickly come
to the Eatery. We ordered their burgers, fries and a shake. All are
pretty good. I think the burgers Steven makes are as good or better.
We are content with our meal.
Afterwards, we set out on
exploring Georgetown. Sherri in particular is enthralled with the
oldness of the buildings, the narrow streets and the atmosphere. We
walk down M St a ways then turn into the residential areas. We see
old churches and old houses. One of them being Tudor
Place
where Dolly Madison was said to have watched Washington burn when the
British attacked it. Tudor Place wsa closed when we went by. Also
there was a very large estate coming into view: Dumbarton
Oaks. It
is completely enclosed by a tall brick fence, complete with a guard.
Apparently, if we got here earlier, there is a museum and gardens
which can be toured. Lastly, we see what I mistook as an old house,
but it is the Georgetown
Library.
Looks like a good place just to enjoy.
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Georgetown House
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We decided to take the bus
back. DC has a bus which is called the DC Circular which has routes
around the main part of the city. It costs a dollar and takes the
WMATA SmartCard. So we hop on board and enjoy the ride through the
city to Union
Station.
We then walk back to our room, tired, maybe more from the emotions of
the day rather than the amount of walking. After resting for a few
minutes, we take our nightly jaunt over to Harris-Teeter for a few
things, including dish soap. We had gotten word that the dishwasher
would not be fixed until Monday. We go to bed about 10:30.
Background
TripAdvisor: Good
Stuff Eatery, Georgetown.
Essentially this is a hamburger joint. But a very good hamburger and
shake place. I have been wanting to go here for the last ten years,
since picking up their cookbook at the library. The food was as good
as the cookbook, which is really good. But I was hoping for something
out of this world, so my unrealistic expectation hampered me from
giving this a 5 stars. But it is well worth going to for the good
foods. As the name says, it is good stuff.
RFK’s
Words:
“It is from numberless
diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.
Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot
of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny
ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different
centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can
sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance." –
Robert F. Kennedy, South Africa, June 6, 1966.
"Some men see things as
they are and ask 'Why?' I dream things that never were and ask, 'Why
not?''' – Robert F. Kennedy, quoting playwright George Bernard
Shaw in his 1968 presidential campaign
Aeschylus...wrote,
"Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop
upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes
wisdom through the awful grace of God.' What we need in the United
States is not division; what we need in the United States is not
hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and
lawlessness; but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one
another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer
within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.
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Georgetown Library
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Dumbarton Oaks
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Georgetown Cathedral
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Georgetown Home
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Potomac River from the Key Bridge
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Iwo Jima Marine Memorial
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Lincoln Memorial from Arlington
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Women Veteran Hall of Flags
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Women Veteran's Memorial
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Supreme Court Justice William O Douglas
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Graves and Cherry Blossoms
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JFK Eternal Flame and Arlington House
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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Amplitheater
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Tuskegee Airmen Memorial
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Memorial for the USS Maine
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Memorial for those men who tried to rescue the Iranian Hostages
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Challenger Memorial
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Medal of Honor Ceremony
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Laying of the Wreath Ceremony
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Changing of the Guard
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Cherry blossoms and graves
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| Graves |
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Cherry Blossoms and Graves
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Flowers and Plants
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| Daffodil |
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Georgetown Daffodils
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| Georgetown Daffodils |
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Tulip garden by the Netherlands Carillon
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