Washington D.C. is perhaps most beautiful during April when the cherry blossoms bloom. People come from all around the country to witness the sight of the blooming buds that cover the vast majority of the trees. Our family was there a few years ago to witness this.
I had never been the D.C. before. However, I have been a total history nut since I was a little girl so you can only imagine my excitement at being in a place where many of the world changing decisions have been made. We were actually there for my mom’s work but she had decided to take us along so they paid for everything and it also meant that the trip itself wasn’t so fancy. We didn’t stay in a five star resort but a simple hotel called Savoy Suites.
â–º QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
When we arrived my sister and I immediately sat down and drew out our plans. We wanted to see everything! I wanted to see the museums and she wanted to see the monuments. I wanted to see the Library of Congress and she wanted to see the National Zoo. We had a week.
We wanted to see everything we could in the short amount of time that we had so we bought ourselves passes for the public transportation and set out to explore. Our first stop was the American History Museum where we spent several hours simply exploring the roots of our country.
As the afternoon drew to a close we joined our mom at the Washington Monument where earlier that day I had stood in line at 6 o’clock in the morning in freezing weather with about a hundred other people waiting to get tickets to go up and observe Washington DC from 555 feet in the air. When we were about to go up they gave us a briefing about the history of the monument before they cramped about twenty or so people in a large elevator that would travel up the monument to the very top. The walls were glass and you could actually see inside the monument where there were quotes and statues. At the very top everyone fought to peer out the small windows on the outside and when I got my turn my breath was taken away. It was truly magnificent. You could see everything from up here! The people were so tiny that you could hardly make them out. You could see the buildings and the monuments but the most beautiful was the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflection Pool lined with the soft pink hue from the blooming cherry blossoms. I had the distinct feeling I was on top of the world.
We spent the rest of the week in similar fashion, museums during the day and monuments by night, but nothing was quite as beautiful as the view from the Washington Monument. We didn’t get to see everything, though, because it was the Cherry Festival and thousands of tourists had flooded the sites. So I didn’t get a chance to see the Library of Congress of the National Archives but it gives me something to do when I go back.
People have a habit of taking things for granted but sometimes you need to stop and take the time to see what is really around you because Washington D.C. is more than just our capitol. It is a place where history and beauty is all around us. Where you can stop and just watch the cherry blossoms bloom. That is what I will always remember about this trip.
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