Day twenty seven - Saturday

We all slept in this morning after a late night last night. Even Sadie slept an extra hour.

I made a critical decision this morning which turned out to be a big mistake. I figured it was Saturday and that we could save a few bucks and some time by taking our car into DC. Off we went to go to the Book Festival being held at the National Mall. When we got to our exit we found it blocked by the police. Okay, we kept going and going and going. Everything was blocked off. We couldn't get near the National Mall! Turned out the Washington Triathlon was being held this morning and traffic was a mess.

We changed our plans and went to Arlington National Cemetery instead. This turned out to be a great alternative. Although entry to the cemetery is free, parking is not. There's an hourly fee for parking. In the visitor's center we decided to take a tour bus through the cemetery. This, too, turned out to be a good decision as its a long walk to the major sites in the cemetery.

Our first stop was the grave sites of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. John F. Kennedy is buried with his wife and two infant children. Son John is not buried here, he was cremated and his ashes spread at sea. My thoughts returned to that afternoon in November when I learned JFK had been shot. I was in 4th grade and we were sent home early. At home we watched television as the horror of the day was reported. Now, almost 44 years later, we see the life of the eternal flame burning at our feet. It was a very somber moment.

A short walk away was the burial site of Robert Kennedy. His actual burial site is marked with a simple wooden cross and small marble marker bearing "Robert Francis Kennedy, 1925 - 1968." His is the only wooden cross in the cemetery. Nearby is a memorial with three Robert Kennedy quotes and a flowing water pond.

Our next stop was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb holds the bodies of three unidentified soldiers from three different wars. It used to hold four but the body from the Vietnam war has since been identified and removed. Here we watched the changing of the guard - TWICE! This very impressive and somber ritual was so impressive we stayed to see it again. The reverence and precision of the military personnel along with the historic setting made the changing of the guard a highlight of our visit to DC.

Back on the tour bus we made a stop at Arlington house, the home of Robert E. Lee the grounds of which are now Arlington National Cemetery. In 1861 Robert E. Lee, who was in the U.S. Army, left Arlington to join the Confederacy. In 1864 the grounds of Arlington became a cemetery for Union soldiers. Unfortunately the house is undergoing a renovation so it was just an empty house.

Seven dollars each for the bus tour and eight dollars for parking and our free Arlington National Cemetery visit ended up costing $22.00. However, it was money well spent and worth every penny and worth the hastle of making the poor decision to drive our car into DC.

Back at the coach, we had dinner and a game of Scrabble. Another good day!

First picture shows Ann standing at JFK's grave site with the eternal flame to her left. Second picture shows the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The video below shows the Sergeant inspecting the new guard's rifle.