Night tour of DC

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WOW!! Last night we boarded the OnBoard Tour bus with all kinds of CTMH ladies. Gail, Carol and myself had signed up for DC the Lights tour. This tour took us to the US Capitol Building, Iwo Jima Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, The White House, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. The only one we didn't get to see was the the Old Post Office.

Our driver and tour guide were amazing. Our first stop was teh Iwo Jima Memorial. It was a really good day to do this tour because on Tuesdays, they have a practice with the guns and the band infront of the memorial.....all those guys in uniform. It was spectacular. It's amazing the control they have when throwing the guns and flipping them. If I ever tried it you can bet your booties mine would be on the ground on the first flip.

We stopped next at Korean War Memorial. We learned that the statues are covered in this special paint so that at night when the special lights are on they look like ghosts. On the wall there are faces of people who have perished. The tour guide even had one lady who saw her father's face in the wall. After you pass by the statues and the wall you come to a little fountain, and on the wall is the quote "freedom is not free". This was truly awe inspiring.

Next we stopped at Lincoln Memorial. Can I just say he is HUGE!!! Makes me feel so small! Underneath the statue there is a little museum about Abe with quotes and such. Then you can go up on this elevator to get to the statue. The view looking out is great. It was dusk by the time we got here, so it was even better. On a side note though....We saw the biggest nasty RAT at the memorial. We were all totally grossed out practically running away from it when we noticed it, however, one girl (as a true scrapbooker would) went to find it to take a picture. Truly Brave!!

Next stop....Vietnam War Memorial. There were supposed to be three parts to this memorial however they were restoring one, so we only got to see the nurse's statue and the wall with the names. I can't believe how many names are on that wall. The memorial is made up of two walls that make a "V" for Vietnam. The nurse's status was really neat, and it's nice that they recognized the work that they do. The tour guide had informed us that there were a lot less casualities because of the work that these women had done.

YAY!!! Obama....too bad I didn't actually get to see him, however we got to visit the white house. I even saw the guys who patrolled the top of the building. It was pretty cool. We walked around part of the building before we got to the front. It was neat to see it at night with all the lights, and the fountain lit up. The other neat thing is I got to see the Secret Service Police car. The lady driving it was pretty cool when I asked if I could take a picture.

On to the World War 2 memorial. In the centre of this memorial there are fountains and all around are pilars with states names and wreaths on them. On one side there is a wall with approximately 4,000 gold stars....and one little duck....LOL. I didn't think it was real, but it was!!! I chuckled about that.

.....and last but not least the US capitol building. Again the lights on the building were pretty cool.

All in all it was a pretty good tour, a little dark and gross outside because it was still about 80F with NO wind, but it was a great experience, and I would recommend this to anyone who comes down.

Until later today...