Independence Day 4 July 2013, Washington DC

We had the chance to get down to Washington DC, not just to celebrate the 4th of July, but to catch up with our good friend Mike Young from Denver, Colorado. Mikey survived being a Divisional Officer at ADFA with me back in 1995 and Fi & I did a fantastic trip with him through the US early in 2000 (Colorado, Utah, Arizona and California). We are looking forward to spending some more time with Mikey, Lindsay and their two girls when Mikey starts his new job at the State Department in September.

DC has a really effective public bike hire system, with bike stations all over the city.  You simply put in your credit card details at a station, select how long you need to hire the bike for and pedal away.  the bikes are pretty good - 3 gears, comfy seat and flashing lights front and rear.  Here, Doogs, Fi, Mike and Ferg prepare to head off.

 
 

Riding our bikes from Arlington
towards the Lincoln Memorial and the Mall,
July 4th, 2013.
Mikey, Ben, Fi, Ferg and Doogs.

The Washington Monument was clad in scaffolding following an earthquake in DC a few years ago.  Still, it's always a spectacular sight looking across the pool of reflection towards the Capitol.

Ferg looking down the mall to the
Washington Monument.

 

The Lincoln Memorial was a favourite, with words of his Gettysburg address and second inauguration speech on the walls. The boys were also keen to hear the details of his assassination (how, when, by whom...).  They had also seen the monument in a Transformers movie, where 'Megatron' had apparently blasted Lincoln off the monument and taken his seat...(sigh).  We hoped they took away a better perspective of the Memorial after our visit....

Mikey at the wall of the
Korean Memorial.

Ferg and Doogs at the Vietnam...

 
 The monuments around the mall are just spectacular.


...and Korean Memorials.

 The 4th of July Parade down Constitution Avenue was full of colour, noise and celebration. 

                                                  

The White House was decked out in red, white and blue and was hosting a party on the lawns.  It was terribly hot and humid, so we were somewhat thankful our invitation had been lost in the mail...haha!

Plenty of red, white and blue on the Executive Offices
beside the White House.

The humidity and heat were stifling, which meant you either sought some ice cream in the shade...

....or just caved in completely...........



The Marines Memorial by day...

...and by night.



We showed the boys some historical footage from the fighting at Iwo Jima, which included the famous image captured in the Marines Memorial near Arlington Cemetery.  I think this has got to be one of my favourite memorials from anywhere in the world.  We watched the 4th of July fireworks over the mall from the Marines Memorial - a spectacular show!

Fireworks over The Capitol and Washington Monument. 
July 4th, 2013.

Our vantage point for the
4th of July fireworks.

We had a great visit to Arlington National Cemetery the day after Independence Day.  We took in the Visitor's Centre, President John F Kennedy's grave, the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as the memorial to the space shuttle crews (Columbia and Challenger). 

About 30 funeral services are conducted at Arlington each day and more than 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and their families are buried there.

John F Kennedy's grave,
looking up to Arlington House.

The guard at the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.