You always have to be ready for the unexpected weather. We had planned to go to Maryland and then to Virginia. But due to Hurricane Florence, possibly effecting the area we had planned on going to, we extended our time in Maryland.
We chose our place in Maryland for the distance it was to Washington D.C.. Granted the weather was not always the best, but we managed to get in a few days in Washington D.C., without rain. And one day not so lucky!
Our RV park, Cherry Hill Park, was great, they had a pool, hot tub, mini golf and play ground. They also had movie nights, hay rides, so they had great events for the guest. It is a larger park, with cabin rentals, yurts, cottages, and glamping pods. And again, easy access to Washington D.C.. Just a train ride away. And something great that they offer is an information booth. They offer information about the Metro and bus system in and around Washington D.C., you can even purchase the Metro Smart Cards, they are full of information.
For more information on the park, please visit: www.cherryhillpark.com
So one thing that you should have when going to visit Washington D.C. is a great pair of walking shoes. We walked well over 10 miles a day. But so worth it!!
As we got off the train, and walk up the stairs is the United States Navy Memorial.
There is a museum as well.
All around the memorial was brass plates that depicted different scenes.
A Seaman coming home.
Then comes the National Mall, full of museums, monuments, along with so much more. We have so many pictures it is hard to decide which ones to share with you on this post. So please bear with us as we may overload you on them.
The Washington Monument, this was built to honor George Washington, once the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first President of the United States. It is the worlds largest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk. The monument was started in 1848 and was halted in 1854 to 1877 due to the lack of funds. The outside of the structure was completed in 1884, and the internal ironwork, the knoll and other finishing touches were completed in 1888.
Across from the Washington Monument and the reflection pond is the Lincoln Memorial.
The Lincoln Memorial was built to honor our 16th President of the United States. The Memorial was started in 1914, and dedicated in May 1922.
The statue of Lincoln, originally designed to be 10 feet tall, but was enlarged to 19 feet to prevent it from being overwhelmed by the huge chamber. This was one of our favorite stops, along with the quote above Lincoln’s head, there is carvings displayed of his second inaugural address and his Gettyburg Address.
To walk the steps up to the memorial is surreal, To see those massive columns, just speakless.
Nest stop is the World War II Memorial.
The World War II Memorial is a memorial of national significance dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and civilians during World War II.
Consisting of 56 pillars and a pair of small triumphal arches surrounding a square and fountain, it sits on the National Mall, on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
The Freedom Wall is on the west side of the plaza, with a view of the Reflecting Pool and Lincoln Memorial behind it. The wall has 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war. In front of the wall lies the message “Here we mark the price of freedom”.
Next the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a 2-acre memorial. It honors service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam war, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the war.
The Memorial Wall is made up of two 246-foot-9-inch (75.21 m) long black granite walls, polished to a high finish, and etched with the names of the servicemen being honored in 140 panels of horizontal rows with regular typeface and spacing. The walls are sunken into the ground, with the earth behind them. At the highest tip (the apex where they meet), they are 10.1 feet (3.1 m) high, and they taper to a height of 8 inches (200 mm) at their extremities. Symbolically, this is described as a “wound that is closed and healing”. The stone for the 144 panels was quarried in Bangalore, India.
One wall points toward the Washington Monument, the other in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial, meeting at an angle of 125° 12′. Each wall has 72 panels, 70 listing names and two very small blank panels at the extremities. There is a pathway along the base of the Wall where visitors may walk.
The wall originally listed 57,939 names when it was dedicated in 1982; however other names have since been added and as of May 2018 there were 58,320 names, including eight women. The number of names on the wall is different than the official number of U.S. Vietnam War deaths, which is 58,220 as of May 2018. The names inscribed are not a complete list of those who are eligible for inclusion as some names were omitted at the request of families.
A short distance away from the wall is another Vietnam memorial, a bronze statue named The Three Servicemen (sometimes called The Three Soldiers). The statue depicts three soldiers, purposefully identifiable as European American, African American, and Hispanic American. In their final arrangement, the statue and the Wall appear to interact with each other, with the soldiers looking on in solemn tribute at the names of their fallen comrades. The distance between the two allows them to interact while minimizing the effect of the addition on Lin’s design.
These are so important to us. We appreciate all of the men and women that have serviced and currently serve. We love our country and so proud to be Americans.
Watch for the next post to finish our time visiting Washington D.C., there is so much more to share.
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