Washington, D.C.

                My personal travel experience occurred in Washington, D.C. four months ago. My mother insisted that my brother and I had to see the White House at least once in our lives. I was absolutely thrilled! This trip meant that I would be able to see many historical landmarks. I loved knowing that I would be in a place where history was made. 

Many things worked out well while my family and I were there. We were able to go up into the Washington Monument because we got there with just enough time to get tickets. The inside of the walls and the views were incredible! The weather turned out to be really sunny and warm and it was perfect because it was the first really great day of the year. There also happened to be a rally going on. Should I have put that in the bad pile, maybe? It just that it was actual people fighting for what they believed in and it really emphasized where I was at. 

As with most vacation, there were some things that did not work out so well. We spent hours just looking for a hotel to stay at. Wherever we went the places were either overpriced, disgusting, or filled up. We looked at so many that I cannot remember where we ended up staying. After that fiasco was taken care of and we started to go sightseeing we could not find a place to park! As one might expect, we ended up paying to park in an overpriced parking garage far from where we wanted to go. Let me start out by saying that the Smithsonian Museum is incredible, but I got very tired of looking at old bones and animal skeletons. I wished the museum would have had more interactive things such as touch screens, movies, or even tour guides. The worst thing of all . . . I lost my sunglasses. Do not get me wrong but these sunglasses were not a five dollar pair from Wal-Mart. I realized I did not have them with me two minutes after I set them down and they were gone. Did I mention it was a really sunny day and it was still before noon? I just have to say that I hope somebody enjoys them. 

I learned so many valuable things from this trip that I probably would not have otherwise known. I gained knowledge about all kinds of historical people from the presidents wives to Julia Child. There were numerous artifacts that I found interesting and had to know more about. One of the biggest things that I learned about was the buildings. I learned all about the how, why, when, and by whom the buildings were constructed. I also have to admit that I learned a little bit about driving in the big cities while I was there. 

Due to this personal travel experience I entered a slightly different person that when I left. Not only do I feel more educated, but I feel better knowing that I got to see this nation’s capital.  It’s hard to describe the feeling of how I have changed. I guess one could say that I feel like a better-rounded individual. I would recommend to anyone that they should spend at least one day in Washington, D.C., and if only for the driving experience.