My world has been thrown into a tail spin this past month. My Dad had a stroke nearly a month ago right after I finished an epic journey seeing komodo dragons and swimming with manta rays. That combined with the fact that I hadn't seen my family since before the pandemic caused me to make a B-line back to the USA for a bit. Dad is improving, and for the time being I've had to enjoy the USA. For a while I planned on travelling to California to take an empowerment course, but the course was cancelled and I decided I wasn't mentally ready to travel all that way.
Hell bent I was on Washington, D.C., however! Finding a CouchSurfing host in D.C. was impossible but I reached out to my friend, Courtney only the evening before and she offered to host me. She was the project leader when I volunteered in the Dominican Republic back in 2012. When I arrived last night after a long day of hitchhiking from Delaware, Courtney greeted me warmly with a big hug and then ordered Thai food. I knew I wasn't gonna be doing any serious exploring since I was exhausted and had both of my backpacks. Many places in D.C. won't allow backpacks due to security concerns and don't offer lockers to store them.
At the top of my list for today was Arlington National Cemetery. My grandfather and grandmother passed away in 1986 and 1995, respectively, and were buried in Arlington with full military honours. Courtney had to leave for work at 7:30, and I left when she did since I knew I was gonna have a really full day. It was a warm day but I decided to wear shoes instead of thongs since I was gonna be doing a lot of walking. The D.C. Metro system is regarded as one of the best in the country, and there's a stop at Arlington. The visitor centre offers a "grave shuttle" that will drop you directly at the section where a loved one's grave is located. Before long I spotted the grave of my grandfather, Mark Farrell and grandmother, Mary Farrell (they are buried in the same grave).
"Pappy Mark" as I called him served with honour in the Navy during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. This was my first time ever at their grave as I was unable to attend either funeral. I called my sister, Dannielle and my Mom to say that I was visiting "Nanny" and "Pappy," and Mom would thank me for doing so. Before leaving, I would thank my grandparents for all they did for myself, my family, their country, and the world.
It's difficult to smile at cemeteries. Arlington National Cemetery is, all at once, very solemn and touching yet very beautiful and enjoyable.
Many different historical figures are buried here. Robert Peary was the first person to reach the North Pole. Joe Louis was a famous boxer. John Glenn was one of the earliest astronauts; he later became the oldest person to go to space. John F. Kennedy and several other members of the Kennedy family are buried here. What surprised me is that only two US presidents are buried at Arlington: John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft. Kennedy's grave has an eternal flame.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the day at Arlington was the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Taking place every 30 minutes, the guard walks 21 steps in a line in a very elaborate ceremony.
I've now seen changing of the guards in a number of countries (Taiwan, Greece, etc.) and they're all so elaborate and beautiful. Whilst I'll admit that I will always and forever prefer travelling around other countries to travelling around the US, I've found a bit of an appreciation for America. Don't get me wrong that this country has a lot of problems and a lot of things that it can fix, but it is certainly a beautiful place. I'm already ranking D.C. up there as one of the world's great cities for walking. What few people know is that Arlington National Cemetery is actually in Virginia, but is in what used to be part of D.C.'s territory. More than four hours I spent at Arlington today, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you to all who not only served the country, but served the world!
On the Metro I travelled from Arlington to Foggy Bottom. It's surprisingly difficult to find public toilets or a convenience store anywhere within the main areas of D.C. and I had to walk a ways to find a 7-Eleven. Snacked up and energized, I was ready for the National Mall. Known as "America's Front Yard," the National Mall is a surprisingly relaxed place where people laze in the grass, play soccer, walk their dogs, throw frisbees, and just about whatever else with a view of the Washington Monument, the US Capitol, and the Lincoln Memorial. Even a turtle perched on a log was enjoying this sunny day.
My next stop was the Vietnam War Memorial, where thousands of those who lost their lives' names are etched. It's common for loved ones to trace their names with a pencil onto a piece of paper. Years ago, my aunt sent me a postcard of the Vietnam War Memorial with a reflection of the Washington Monument in the background, noting that you can see two monuments at once.
The steps of the Lincoln Memorial were packed on this gorgeous day. If I could pick a few events in history to be present at, at or near the top of the list would be Martin Luther King's (MLK) I Have a Dream speech, which took place at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It amazes me that D.C. is so relaxed, as I was thinking there would be security personnel and police absolutely everywhere telling people they couldn't do this or that. I wouldn't want to fly Juliett (my drone) here, however. The Korean War Memorial was up next, and I noted the marble used to create the wall was lighter in colour than that of the Vietnam War Memorial. D.C. is the kind of place that I could spend at least a few weeks in and still have stuff to see and things to do at the end of it. If I were to have a guess, I would say I took about 30,000 steps by 4 PM today. The World War II Memorial is absolutely grand with a beautiful fountain! Despite my oft criticism of America, I really love D.C. even though I've only been here a day.
Whilst I wanted to see the MLK Memorial and perhaps duck into one of the Smithsonian museums, by 5 PM my feet were completely shot. I'm saying already that this won't be my only trip to the nation's capital. Courtney would arrive home a bit late after an appointment but we had so much to talk about with both the past and present. After a much needed shower, we'd feast on Sicilian pizza. As we talked about in the Dominican Republic, food always tastes better after hard work (or a long day of walking and touring). It's supposed to be nice and warm again tomorrow, and I'll be going straight to the National Mall.
