Glorious Day For A Walk

On such a glorious day viewing the cherry blossoms, we also took the opportunity for a leisurely (albeit long) walk to see some of DC’s magnificent monuments starting with the Jefferson Memorial (http://www.nps.gov/thje). The 19 ft. tall statue of Jefferson housed in the rotunda is obviously the centerpiece of this memorial, but the engraved passages from his writings that grace the walls are equally as memorable.

Though we’ve seen all of these monuments and memorials in past visits, different seasons and times of day can showcase them in a different light. They are all so spectacular, not only in their architecture but in what they each represent. For instance the World War II Memorial (www.nps.gov/nwwm/) honors the sacrifice of those who served in the armed forces and of those at home. At each end is a 43 ft. tall victory pavilion, each representing one of the two military theaters of operations that were happening on opposite sides of the world, the Atlantic and the Pacific. Along one side against a backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial is the Freedom Wall containing 4,048 gold stars. Each star represents 100 American military dead or missing in action from WWII. The 56 granite columns are engraved with the name of one of the 48 states, 7 federal territories, or the District of Columbia that all came together during this war. Though we had not yet begun our RV travels, we happened to be in DC when it was first opened to the public in 2004 and still regard it as a wonderful tribute to those who served.

We briefly visited part of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (www.nps.gov/frde), which spreads out over 7-1/2 acres. Granite walls separate it into four areas each representing a different term of his 12 year presidency. There are several bronze sculptures throughout the memorial including a larger-than-life statue of FDR and his dog Fala, a life-size statue of Eleanor Roosevelt, and some sculptures depicting scenes from the Great Depression such as “The Rural Couple” and “Breadline”. In addition to beautiful landscaping and numerous waterfalls, FDR quotes are inscribed throughout.









We passed the Vietnam Women’s Memorial dedicated in 1993. The bronze statue stands 8 ft. x 15 ft. and honors the many women who served during the war. Of course any visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (www.nps.gov/vive/) is always a humbling experience as you pass the 58,272 names of those who gave their lives or went missing during the war.










One of the most famous sites in Washington, DC, is the Lincoln Memorial (www.nps.gov/linc/). We took the elevator from the lower lobby to the central chamber where the 19 ft. tall marble statue resides and took a few minutes to read the Gettysburg address inscribed on one of the side chamber walls. His second Inaugural Address is inscribed on the wall of the other chamber. Exiting the chambers, you can walk all the way around the memorial between the marble columns and the chamber walls and experience fantastic views of the surrounding area.

From the back side in the distance we could see Arlington National Cemetery and even the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, better known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. Dedicated to all marines who have given their lives in battle, it stands 32 ft. high, and my camera zoom gave us an incredible shot. As we came around the side of the building, we had a remarkable view of the Washington Monument and the Capitol, which is usually more impressive when there is water in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, but it is currently under renovation.

As we made our way back, we visited the Korean War Veterans Memorial (www.nps.gov/kowa/), a very unique memorial indeed. We came along the backside where in a triangular “field” 19 individual stainless steel statues depict a squad on patrol wearing their windblown ponchos. Along the south side, a polished black granite wall reflects not only the statues’ images and visitors as they pass by (can you see Russ?), but also has faces etched into its surface. These faces were taken from actual photos of unidentified American military personnel.









Yes, indeed, a glorious day for a walk...time to relax, reflect, and remember. And not only had the cherry blossoms been at full strength, but the nearby magnolia trees still had plenty of blooms on the trees and on the ground...a beautiful sight.