Day twenty eight - Sunday

We started out the day intending to see the Lincoln and Washington Memorials and then head over to the Air and Space Museum. We accomplished half our goal.

To avoid repeating yesterday's debacle, we took the bus and Metro to the Smithsonian station. Outside the station we noticed a sign pointing the way to the Holocaust Museum. It was only a couple of blocks away so off we went.

We spent the next couple of hours touring this museum. This is a depressing piece of world history! Although depressing, it's something everybody should see. The horrors of Hitler and the Nazi's is well documented. The Holocaust is laid out here with pictures, film and documents in a logical and shocking manner. As you progress through the museum you see how Hitler and the Nazi party came into power. The repression of the Jews and other people developed before the war and continued, and worsened, during the war. Finally, we learned about the concentration camps, the killing of Jews, and others, by the thousands. All this was illustrated by pictures, film, documents and displays. By the time we left, we were disgusted, emotional and enlightened. It's hard to understand and believe that anybody could do to people what was done by Hitler and the Nazis during this time.

After the Holocaust Museum we walked over to the Washington Memorial. Although people can enter the memorial and go to the top of it, we couldn't because it was too late in the day and all the tickets had been given out. We walked around it and then headed over to the World War II Memorial.

Next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. After walking along the reflecting pool between the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial we came to the Lincoln Memorial. What an awesome sight. We climbed 87 steps and were greeted by a huge statue of Lincoln. Looking back over our shoulders, we could see the Washington Memorial reflected in the pool between the two memorials.

On the way back to the Metro we stopped at the Korean War Memorial. Ann's dad was in Korea.

Metro and bus back to the coach, a game of Scrabble and the new Desperate Housewives show closed out the day.

It's amazing how the history of the USA, especially the history of war, comes together in this place. Around the National Mall we are constantly reminded of various wars and those who fought, and died in, those wars. I find myself wondering why war is necessary and why so many young people have to die for their nation. And, after visiting the Holocaust Museum you realize it's not just the soldier who dies in war.