Trip Journal 2015

Our trip began Saturday morning. We flew to Washington DC and arrived at Dulles airport to meet our tour directors, Kristin and Jackie, and our bus drivers, Larry and Lisa.

We headed through the rolling countryside to the historic town of Gettysburg. We had free time to explore the Main Street and shops, followed by dinner at the Dobbin House Tavern, a building as old as the United States.

Then we checked into the hotel to rest up for a full week ahead. We can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Tour Director Kristen

Transportation by bus

Exploring the shops

Dinner at Dobbin House Tavern

We toured the Gettysburg Battlefield with guides Jack and Bob. What a great experience! Afterwards, we experienced the Cyclorama oil painting.

After lunch at the Visitors Center, we headed to Washington DC.

Our first stop was Arlington National Cemetery. We visited the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial and Netherlands Carrillon, the Women's Military Memorial, President Taft's grave, the Arlington House, the Tomb of the Unknowns, and the Eternal Flame.

We had a buffet dinner at Crystal City Sports Pub. This evening we saw the White House and toured the Vietnam War, Lincoln, and Korean War memorials.

Gettysburg

Iwo Jima Memorial

Arlington National Cemetery

Crystal City Sports Pub

The White House

Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Women's Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

Our first stop this morning was the Albert Einstein statue.
Then we explored the fantastic collections at the Smithsonian museums: American History, Natural History, Air and Space, and more!

We had dinner at Ben's Chili Bowl.

We visited more monuments and memorials in the evening: World War II, Washington Monument, Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Jefferson.

Albert Einstein statue

National Gallery of Art

National Air and Space Museum

Cherry blossoms

Ben's Chili Bowl

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

World War II Memorial

FDR Memorial

In the morning we visited Capitol Hill: the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and the Capitol Building.
After lunch at the Department of Agriculture, we spent the afternoon at the Holocaust Museum and Memorial.

A pizza dinner at Fuel was followed by an evening at the International Spy Museum. What a great day!

At the Capitol

Holocaust Museum and Memorial

Re-fueling at the FUEL pizza restaurant

International Spy Museum

In the morning we took a ferry cruise from Old Town Alexandria to Mount Vernon, George Washington's Estate.

We spent the afternoon touring the mansion and experiencing the plantation.

Dinner at King Street Blues was followed by shopping and free time in Old Town.

Ferry ride

Mount Vernon

King Street Blues

This morning we saw a performance of the play "One Destiny" at Ford's Theater where President Lincoln was assassinated. Then we toured the Petersen House where he died. This year marks the 150th anniversary of that landmark historical event.

We had lunch at Eat at National Place, then walked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the National Archives.
It was a gorgeous day for our last day in DC. At the airport, we were checked in and happy, thinking about the amazing things we did and saw this week.

Still, we're looking forward to being home. Goodbye, DC! Thanks for an excellent trip.

Ford's Theater

Petersen House

At the airport, ready to come home

I had so much fun on this trip! I loved the memorial night walk and how each and every day we were doing something different. -- Giselle G.

I had a blast in DC! I couldn't believe how many beautiful memorials and museums are there. The restaurants we ate at were great too. I highly recommend this trip. -- Adrian D.

I had a lot of fun and made many new friends on the trip. I loved seeing the White House, the Capitol Building and Supreme Court. My favorite memorial was the WWII memorial. The fountain in the middle was beautiful. I hope I can go back to Washington DC again soon. -- Taniya S.