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To commence my online travel blog, I think a good place to start will be with our Nation's Capital-- Washington D.C.
(Side Note: Most of my travels have been with my high-school sweetheart-- Andres Florez. A passion for traveling is a commonality between the two of us, and I am lucky to have been able to experience it with him.)
We planned our trip to Washington D.C for Cherry Blossom season 2006. Besides the fact that it was Spring Break in school, and it was my 18th birthday, Springtime is the best time to attend Washington. On March 27, 1912, Major Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo had presented the United States with its infamous Cherry Blossoms with the intentions of offering peace and exhibiting a growing friendship between the two nations. Every year, for a couple of weeks during this time, Washington holds a Cherry Blossom Festival. Over 4,000 pink and white trees blossom each spring and enhance our Nation's monuments. It is such a breath-taking experience to be a part of the 700,000 tourists in attendance of the blossoming trees.
(I apologize for the lack of personal photos-- most of my travels are recorded with my hand-held video camera.)
Here are Andres and I outside of the capital surrounded by Cherry Blossoms. The capital offers free tours at certain hours, however, you must attend a few hours in advance to pick up a pass from representatives stationed outside in booths. Andres and I were unaware of the time of our tour and had to pay a bicyclist to cart us from the Jefferson Memorial to our Capital tour in a span of 20 minutes! We made it though.
Here is us standing outside of the White House before going inside for our tour. You must write your congressman a letter six months in advance asking permission for a private tour. With the letter, you must provide your social security card information as well as authorization for a background check. No cameras are allowed inside the White House, so in case you are planning on taking the private tour, make sure you leave your camera inside the hotel room. You cannot be late for your tour.
The Lincoln Memorial. (Take note that Abraham Lincoln is resting his arm on his chair with his left hand in the the sign-language letter "A" for Abraham.) Another interesting site to visit is Ford's Theater-- where John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln on April 14th, 1965. Directly across the street from Ford's Theater is the house of Swedish emigrant-- William Peterson, where Lincoln was taken after he was shot. It is a walk-through museum now-- the blood-stained sheets from where Lincoln passed away still remains on the pillow, although with time, it has faded greatly.
(Fun-Fact: Lincoln was shot during the play "Our American Cousin." Halfway through Act III, Scene II, character Asa Trenchard mutters the funniest line of the whole play: "Don't know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal pal-- you sockdologizing old man-trap..." Booth had seized the opportunity of the roaring laughter to shoot Lincoln in the head, with hopes the laughs will mask the gun-shot sound.)
(Fun-Fact: Lincoln was shot during the play "Our American Cousin." Halfway through Act III, Scene II, character Asa Trenchard mutters the funniest line of the whole play: "Don't know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal pal-- you sockdologizing old man-trap..." Booth had seized the opportunity of the roaring laughter to shoot Lincoln in the head, with hopes the laughs will mask the gun-shot sound.)
Here is Andres goofing off on the view from the Lincoln Memorial facing the Washington Monument.
Take note on how the Cherry Blossom complements the solemn graveyard of Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
The tomb of the Unknown Soldier holds the remains of an unidentified soldier. Our Nation pays their respect by hosting a guard-changing ceremony that takes place every hour on the hour under its 24 hour supervision. It is really a nice sight to see.
The Iwo Jima Memorial stands outside of Arlington Cemetery dedicated to all the lives that were lost in defense for our country during battles since 1775. The memorial is of the Marines and a Sailor raising the flag over Iwo Jima.
The Holocaust Memorial museum in Washington D.C is one of my absolute favorite Holocaust Memorial sites in the United States. Although you are not allowed to bring a camera inside, I managed to sneak a shot of the shoe compilation from many of the Holocaust victims. I highly recommend people to take a tour through this museum. They have a gas chamber door, a train cart from the railroads, and a large amount of never-before-seen footage of victims and torture methods. (I am a Holocaust fanatic, considering my family originated from Europe during those crucial times and only a small portion had managed to escape and flee to America.)
Pictures cannot describe what an enriching and educational place Washington D.C is, and no image could possibly capture the beauty of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Some tours that will can guide you to all of the different monuments are linked below. I highly suggest a tour bus as a method of transportation as opposed to a taxi cab.
During our stay, we chose Best Western. It was within price range and in walking distance to the White House.
Tax is pretty high in Washington. Sales tax- 5.75 percent, Hotel tax- 14.5 percent and Restaurant- 10 percent.
I hope that I have overall persuaded you to experience a taste of our Nation's Capital, and I hope that you will enjoy it just as much as I have!
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