Admittedly we have seen a number of countries’ capitals throughout the world, but we had yet to visit our own nation’s capital. Being in the eastern United States with a couple days to kill, we made it a priority.
We picked Caleb up from his gymnastics camp in Pennsylvania and started towards Washington D.C. First stop . . . an American grocery store for road trip goodies.
Road Trip Supplies
We gave each of the kids $5 to get what they wanted, but with the warning that it had to last them the entire trip. It was a little funny what they chose to purchase with their money, but it was also a wake up call to see how much $5 a person can buy! We’re not in London anymore!
Washington D. C. Temple
One of the places on my ‘must see’ list for Washington D.C. was the temple. It had been almost 33 years since I had been there, being sealed to my own family . . . and one of my treasured memories.
Nevin Family – October 1982
Being there again with my own children and family gave me a deeper appreciation for that temple trip so long ago. It’s where my forever family started . . . and it is continuing on through the generations.
Stephenson Family – June 2015
Sadly, the weather was rubbish while we were at the temple, so we spent most of our time in the visitors’ centre instead of the grounds. But, that’s definitely not a bad thing. The visitors’ centre is an amazing place!
Christus inside the Visitors’ Centre
With our travel day in the books, we were thankful to wake up the next day to sun. Perfect for our one full day of touring! We planned our morning around the hop on/hop off bus times and stops, so we could be prepared as possible.
When we arrived at the first bus stop, we waited for the bus . . . . .
. . . and waited . . .
Still Smiling
. . . and waited . . .
Silliness Begins
. . . and waited some more.
Not Funny Anymore
Frustration was definitely starting to set in so we walked to another stop, which happened to be the Welcome Centre. There, we found out the bus route had been changed a couple years ago and was never updated on their website. So much for planning!!
By that time, we weren’t far from the White House so we just walked over . . . who needs the bus anyway!
Front of the White House
Tourist Picture
Back of the White House
We got to see a number of monuments that we had earmarked to visit, but they were really only the tip of the iceberg.
Handstands Around the World
Washington Memorial
It was fun to be there at the end of June, when they had already started to set things up for the 4th of July. There were so many American flags!!
Lincoln Memorial
Mr. Lincoln
Martin Luther King Jr. Marker
View of Washington Monument from Lincoln
We had a quick stop at the Smithsonian Museum of American History and then scooted over to Arlington Cemetery. Oh, if we had only known – Arlington Cemetery is a tour within itself! We just did not have enough time!
Arlington Cemetery
One day in Washington D.C. is just not enough. We definitely whet our appetite and will have to return to do some more site-seeing at some point.
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