Up and attum again. Why is it that vacations are so jam packed that you're tired? And okay, I know the answer: You don't want to miss anything.
This morning we took the metro to the Smithsonian stop. Our goal was to get tickets for the Holocaust Museum. We lucked out and also got tickets for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It's nice that both are on the same block.
Our tickets for the Holocaust Museum left us a little time, so we walked down to the tidal basin and sat under the cherry trees, gazing across at the Jefferson Memorial. It was the one major memorial I didn't see in 1987, and I still haven't seen it. We just didn't have time to wander over today.
The Holocaust Museum is...intense, disturbing and powerful. The fact that humans can be so incredibly cruel to one another is beyond my sense of compassion. I guess my brain understands it, but my heart does not. This is one museum that I believe everyone needs to see for themselves.
After that, my day needed some brightening. Luckily one of my college friends, Tracy, lives in DC and she and her baby boy joined us for a few hours at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was great to see her, and meet the little guy. College is one of those places where you sort of recreate family in the people you live with. Tracy is one of those wonderful friends who became that "college family." I spent two Easters with her family in central Montana and they were so welcoming to the homesick teenager I was. I hate that we live on opposite sides of the country!
After Tracy headed home, the parents and I went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Mom spent so many years counting money at the bank, we thought it would be fun to see it being printed. Did you know they print money 24/7, 365 days a year? And after the tour Dad struck up a conversation with a printer who showed us how the original 19th Century printing press they have on display works. It's a much more time consuming process than I ever thought about. It's very cool.
This morning we took the metro to the Smithsonian stop. Our goal was to get tickets for the Holocaust Museum. We lucked out and also got tickets for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It's nice that both are on the same block.
Our tickets for the Holocaust Museum left us a little time, so we walked down to the tidal basin and sat under the cherry trees, gazing across at the Jefferson Memorial. It was the one major memorial I didn't see in 1987, and I still haven't seen it. We just didn't have time to wander over today.
The Holocaust Museum is...intense, disturbing and powerful. The fact that humans can be so incredibly cruel to one another is beyond my sense of compassion. I guess my brain understands it, but my heart does not. This is one museum that I believe everyone needs to see for themselves.
After that, my day needed some brightening. Luckily one of my college friends, Tracy, lives in DC and she and her baby boy joined us for a few hours at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was great to see her, and meet the little guy. College is one of those places where you sort of recreate family in the people you live with. Tracy is one of those wonderful friends who became that "college family." I spent two Easters with her family in central Montana and they were so welcoming to the homesick teenager I was. I hate that we live on opposite sides of the country!
After Tracy headed home, the parents and I went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Mom spent so many years counting money at the bank, we thought it would be fun to see it being printed. Did you know they print money 24/7, 365 days a year? And after the tour Dad struck up a conversation with a printer who showed us how the original 19th Century printing press they have on display works. It's a much more time consuming process than I ever thought about. It's very cool.
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