I woke up especially early (8:30!!!!!!) to go to the Balkinds and call my family. so nice to speak to them! (first time i spoke to any of them!)!. Jeffrey picked me up on a motorbike.
Then Francoise, Jane and I went into DC. We took the metro, and arrived at the Mall which was beautiful. We bought tickets to one of those hop on hop off buses for the day.
All the museums are free! I didnt go into any of them, but all these beautiful National galleries and museums are free! Its so weird, but so great.
We got on the bus and drove past the Capitol and a few museums (Natural History, American History, Air and Space, Gallery of Art) before we got out at Union Station which is a lovely grand station in DC, and had lunch. It started to drizzle, so we got on the next bus and decided to stay on it, and get an idea of the city. So we stayed on it as we drove past amazing sites! Back past the Capitol and the National Mall, past the Washington Monument, Tidal Basin, Jefferson Monument, Korean War Veterans Memorial, FDR memorial (which we didnt actually see, as it is small apparently), The Lincoln Memorial and then down to Arlington. We then went back up from Arlington and decided to get out at the Lincoln Memorial and looks around. So we took photos inside that, (which is that round building with pillars, and a gaint statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair. We also took a photo of the Gettysburg Address inscribed in the wall, and of where Martin Luther King Jnr stood when he said his I have a Dream speech. Which was amazing! And the view from there is amazing. The Washington Monument (which is that really long tall thing that kinda looks like a pencil), and Mall and Capitol all line up perfectly. I was so excited to see that view you always see in movies with that body of water in front of the Washington Monument, but they were renovating so it was just mud.
We then walked to Vietnam War Memorial. Which was so so moving. It is this wall thing put in grass (Im not desrcibing this fantastically) but it is all the names of the people who died. They are somthing like 58 000 names in it. It is incredible. You can ask one of the people who work there for the placement of a particular name, and they will use their map thing and find it for you. Then they give you a piece of paper and a piece of graphite, and, because the names are dented in, if you colour over the name it comes up on your piece of paper. Francoise was talking to someone, and I noticed a man standing and reading every single name on the wall to try and find his friend. He had a lanyard around his neck that said 'ww2 veteran'. (maybe not WWII? but definitely was a veteran for some war.) So i just stood and watched him for ages trying to find this name. someone came up to him and offered to look up the name for him, but he said he knew it was on the 4th or 5th panel, and it was fine, he would find it. He just stodd there for ages, tracing all the names, finding his one. i couldnt leave; i had to wait and see if he found it. It was amazing when he did, he was so happy! It really was so nice. I went up to him and offered to get him graphite so he could trace it. Me and Jane traced the name for him. it was amazing seeing the name just appear on the page. It was like he was coming alive. the name was Richard R Herchcorn. After we had finished we gave it to him, and he was so happy. it was so beautiful. he told us that Richard was his cousin's son, and that he had gone to his funeral, and it was an open casket and he was dressed in his military uniform with his hand on his heart, and a bandage around his head. he started crying. it was so so touching. He was so grateful, and when he left me and Jane started crying. It really was so moving. It is an amazing exhibition, as the artist didnt want to glorify war, she wanted people to think about it. I definitely want to go back there one day. I will never forget that mans face and i dont even know his name. it was so touching.
After that we walked to the White House! Which wasnt much of an event. But i have seen the White House now, which is great. As we were walking back to the Metro, Jane spotted a FroYo, so we went there. Oh my. Along the side of the walls they have all this different types of frozen yoghurt and so many toppings, and you just put as much as you want in a cup and you pay by weight. it wsa delicious :D no ways we could finish it though. Our first experience of big American food. We walked to the metro, and got out at Bethesda (the shopping and restaurant part) where we went to the Apple Store!! :D :D And i put an ipod touch, and jane bought a nano! So cool :D very exciting.
We then walked back to Chevy Chase to the Balkinds (we did a LOT of walking), to pick up our stuff, and then we were dropped off at my house! (not walking this time!). We quickly had supper (pizza. butlers is still better) and then Hugh and Edith took Me, Jane, Alex, Sarah and Sophie to the movie theatre. Hugh and Edith saw The Help and we saw Crazy Stupid Love. It was really good! Had these irritating little boys and girls (grade 7ish) sitting in front of us talking the whole time, or taking photos on their iphones! very irritating.
Had such a huge shock when jane ordered a small coke from the movie theatre. It was bigger than our extra large. That is not an exageration. The width of it just fitted around my hands put together. It was so big!! and the larges!!!!! i cant even desrcibe how big they are. Me and Jane had a bit of a freak out session!! We cant believe everyone isnt obese!
After the movie we went to Haagen Daaz where me and Jane tried to share a small smoothie, but they only had one size! which was pretty large. Everyone else got their own chocolate or caramel ice cream thing! they are big! I dont understand how this family is so skinny!!
Whew. even though, apart from the smoothie, i didnt eat anything it feels like i did because of looking at everyone elses huge things! the size of cups and POPCORN!! dont get me started on popcorn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow. amazingly fun day though! so exhausted now. It is 11:30 pm now, and everyone is still wide awake doing stuff! Alex is playing music, Sarah is on the guitar next door, Sophie is watching TV. aah its a nocturnal family :) Mom you would love it!
As im typing this the cat is snuggling in a ball on my lap. it is so cute!
Lots of love xxx
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