Washington, our last days visit

There were a few places we wanted to visit before we left but they were kind of out of the way and we figured we'd take our last day and enjoy walking around to see them at leisure. Little did we know that mother nature decided to refresh the land with a nice brisk, cold spring rain. We took the metro to Arlington and walked the mile to see the marines monument.

This is one of the largest bronze monuments ever cast and is very impressive. During WWII the marines attacked the Japanese held island of Iwo Jima. After suffering heavy losses, they finally raised the flag on Mount Surabachi, the high point on the island. This moment was captured by a photographer and became the most famous photo of the war. It was also the basis for this statue. All the marines in the photo except 2 died on the island.

Our leisurely walk now takes us across the Freedom bridge from Arlington Cemetery in the background across the Potomac river, to the Lincoln Memorial. Another 2 miles.

After crossing the river we enjoy a relaxing moment to catch our bearings and enjoy the view. After 2 hours in the rain we are so wet we might as well finish our grand tour. After all, as grammie says, "we won't melt". Die of pneumonia maybe, but won't melt.

Our next stop is the Viet Nam Memorial. This black granite wall list the names of all the American soldiers who died in Viet Nam. There are almost 60,000 names on the wall. The Viet Nam war wasn't popular at the end and there was no pressure on the government to create a memorial, so one man started the drive and other vets got involved. Vet groups and corporate donations paid for the whole memorial and Jimmy Carter signed over the site so it could be built.

A little more walking takes us to the Korean War Memorial. This is one of the more visually interesting memorials because it replicates a troop of soldiers on patrol. Notice they are wearing slickers; wish we had thought of that.

Its as if a real patrol has been caught in an instant of time. They are looking around for threats, watching the ground for mines, chatting with their buddies and looking generally miserable in the rain. Its so lifelike that we examined a number of them to see what they were doing and carrying.

By this time we were wet and miserable and found the nearest metro station and headed back to our warm cozy palace where we dried off and had a warm drink. We had planned to revisit the botanical centre because of all the beautiful plants and flowers there, but it was another 2 miles in the rain. So here are some of the pictures we took last time we were there, instead of taking new ones today. Hope you don't mind a little cheating.

They have a large area featuring plants that we use for nourishment. This is perhaps the most important plant that has ever grown. Its the cacao plant of South America. As we all know, thats where chocolate comes from. Ahh chocolate! Its the only addiction that I'll admit to.

At the time of our visit, the arboretum was having an orchid show. There were hundreds of different kinds of all different shapes and sizes. It was like walking through the garden of Eden. Thats why we planned on going back; just to see the orchids. Guess we'll have to be content with the pictures we have.

The displays were done up in fanciful montages and streams and artwork helped set off the plants and their colours. It was a beautiful place to visit.

A stroll through the verdant greenery is good for the soul. Birds chirping and water falling adds to the peaceful ambiance. If we hadn't been so wet and cold this would have been the perfect tonic for what ailed us. And so ends our exploration of Washington and all its treasures. We both have wanted to explore the area for years and haven't been disappointed. Its been a good 2 weeks. Now, homeward bound.