Washington Presents: The Fourth of July!!

Today is the Fourth of July and I was so fortunate to have spent it In Washington DC. I loved being in Washington so far, even though we didn't see much of the city the other day. I was exited to go out and see more of the city. 

We were planning to visit museums, a few memorials , and the annual Fourth of July parade. Since we had a late night, we got to sleep in until 9 AM, which was nice because we all still very tired. We gathered to have breakfast at the restaurant that was located in the Holiday Inn. Since we had a heavy schedule ahead, Mr.Mannix gave us a few ideas of what to bring. Later we left to go to the local grocery store,Whole Foods, to grab something to eat because it was going to be harder to grab something later.

My breakfast, which was waffles with an omelet. 

The first thing scheduled was to see the White House. It was an amazing feeling to just know that the president was less that a mile away from me. I was ecstatic to see the White House. I  appreciated the opportunity to be there that close and take pictures.

The White House!!! Obama is in there somewhere!!

After the White House, we went to see the annual parade they held. We watched a few high school bands play and saw countless performances. I was amazed by all the different cultural organization representing in the parade and all the people who performed. I loved seeing the people, who came from different places, showing their love for their country. After, we went to see the Washington Monument. I've always have seen images online of the monument but honestly those picture doesn't even compare to the actual monument. 

Washington Monument standing strong and tall.

Later on we went to the Holocaust Museum. I was so excited about going. I've always hear that it is a great museum to visit. Mr.Mannix mentioned to us that the museum could be a little overwhelming at times, but I didn't really understand what he meant until I was in it. It's very difficult for me to describe what I saw because I felt so many different emotions during the museum. I learned more in the museum than any other lecture about the topic. There were so many facts about the Holocaust that I never knew that were interesting, heart-wrenching, and sad. For example, the Nazi had their own underground building to gas innocent minorities. Another fact the I never knew was that the Nazi preserved some of the bodies for experiments. There were many pictures, videos, and artifacts that the Holocaust Museum had. There were some parts of the museum that I could handle and there were other that I couldn't.  Near the end of the museum I was glad I went to it because I ended up learning a lot and I appreciated it. 

 My ticket for the Holocaust Museum and the museum guide.

Since we were all starting to getting hungry we started to eat our lunch. Our next stop was the Museum of Space and Flight. Although I wasn't interested as much as the Holocaust Museum, there were a few interesting artifacts that seemed impressive. Overall the I enjoyed the museum because the cohort had a bonding moment. I appreciated the change of the atmosphere from one museum to another, from very serious to fun.

After the museum we went to three different memorials. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was a great memorial. There was a white stone sculpture of Martin Luther, as well as empowering quotes  engraved in what granite walls surrounding it. It was a peaceful view that I loved. Another memorial we went to was the Korean War Veteran Memorial. I like how there were chiseled faces of those who were in the war on this long granite wall. It was amazing to see the Korean War Veteran Memorial because it has its own unique aspect.  The Lincoln Memorial was everything that I imaged. Abe Lincoln siting strong on this chair. I admired how Lincolns speech, The Gettysburg Address, is engraved around the walls of the memorial, as well. Although I would have like it better with far less people there, it was okay considering it is the Fourth of July.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

The Korean Veteran War

We all had plans to watch the fireworks in the Lincoln Memorial. It was a little difficult to find a place but Mr. Mannix found a great place next to the end of the reflecting pool. When the fireworks started it was one of the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. I was in awe of  all the colors and fireworks used. The fireworks in the West Coast wasn't even close to DC's. Honestly, it was go big or go home and they went big, real big. My favorite part of the fireworks show was the ending. The ending was when everything fired out to make this great explosion of color. To me it was the most memorable part of the day and seeing the fireworks show was the perfect way to end the day. I am absolutely in love with Washington DC and hope that I will soon visit again!

Firework show expanding over the Washington Monument's sky.