The Wall & The Mall

We had a great day today (by the way, Cheryl is writing most of today’s blog). We started the morning at the Mall. Our first stop was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I had been to it before, but Mike had not. We spent time researching a cousin of his that had died in Vietnam. We then walked the wall.

This is a statue that is near the wall and pays tribute to those who served in Vietnam. (This is my favorite Vietnam memorial. It reflects the Vietnam I knew. – Mike)

Mike - I love this photo of a daughter helping her Dad make an etching from the wall.
Mike - The wall is large and covers the dead from 10,000 days of war.

This is the Korean War Memorial and is stunning. Pictures do not do justice to this large memorial that includes a pool of water and a granite wall with sandblasted pictures. It is the best memorial that I have seen. (Mike - What an appropriate memorial to the men and women who fought in an almost forgotten war).

Our next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. As you can tell from the picture, there were a lot of people there. The last time I visited the Lincoln Memorial, I was the only one there!

The Washington Monument. After my experiences in China, I said I did not want to go up into the Washington Monument. Luckily, Mike readily agreed.

The WW II Memorial was built in 2004, so I did not see it on my last visit. It is beautiful and also has a pool of water in the middle. This photo is just a small piece of it and does not do it justice. Mike - It's really too big to photograph well when it's crowded.

We visited the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History. These are the shoes Dorothy wore in the Wizard of Oz. Yes, they are beautiful!

There is an extensive collection of posters from WW II. Some are very appropriate for today.

A picture of Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans. Mike - If you’re of my era there’s no need to explain.

Michelle Obama, from the First Lady’s exhibit. Mike - Each First Lady's photo or portrait is there and many other's items along with Martha Washington's silk gown.

All in all this is a wonderful museum to visit. Very interactive and able to easily handle large crowds. The amazing thing is that it's free.