Day Two: Cherry Blossoms and Waterfalls...among other important DC sites

Today was another great day in Washington DC!!!

We started by having breakfast at a place that caters to large groups.  We shared the place with middle schoolers from Swampscott.  It was a buffet style restaurant with a wide variety of options.  Many of the kids grabbed some cereal and I saw one young man with a plate full of bacon (boy, was I jealous).  Not as many of the kids tried the traditional southern breakfast fare of grits and/or biscuits and gravy.  We did our best, throughout the day, to encourage them to expand their breakfast horizons.  I'm thinking some of them will at least try the biscuits and gravy.

The first stop for us was Arlington National Cemetery. We drove passed the Pentagon on the way in and the kids seemed surprised at the size of the building.  For those reading who have never seen it, the building is very large and can hold over 30,000 employees...that's more than the population of Saugus.  The building is the largest office building in the world according to Wikipedia.

At Arlington National Cemetery, we were reminded quickly about the dignity and solemnity of our visit.  A caisson was being escorted through the cemetery.  After we paused, to allow it to pass, our guide told us that there are approximately 27 funerals a day.  The flag flies at half staff a half-hour before the first ceremony and stays at that position until a half-hour after the final funeral of the day.  It was a somber experience and made us realize the sacrifices our soldiers have made for us over time.

We visited a number of important locations inside Arlington.  We saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Eternal Flame, the grave sites of Edward and Robert Kennedy, and the final resting place of a number of other important American servicemen and political officials.  Our guide was good to point out many of those who were originally from Massachusetts.

For me, and many of the kids that I talked too, the most impressive thing we witnessed was the changing of the guard.  The young men in uniform whom we watched were so perfect in their work.  Their steps were all in unison and the routine was so well rehearsed.  I still cannot get over it.  I was recently in London, England and witnessed the changing of the guards at one of the British sites...ours was much more impressive.
 

The weather has been hot since our arrival and we really started to feel it today.  Whenever possible, we stopped underneath some shade and learned a little more history from our guides.

 After Arlington National Cemetery, it was time for us to visit some other sites. We took some time to visit the Holocaust Museum and to learn about the struggles experienced by Jewish people during the Second World War.  We participated in an exhibit known as Daniel's Story.  This told the tale of a young Germany and Jewish boy.  We walked through his house and met some of his friends, but then things changed.  The Nazis took over and began restricting Daniel's freedoms.  Eventually, his family was relocated to a Ghetto and ultimately a concentration camp.  After completing the story, I had the opportunity to speak with a couple of the boys on Bus #2.  They were really impressed with the exhibit.  I was very impressed with the attitudes and reverence paid by all of our kids throughout the day.

On a side note, next April, I will be leading a tour of high school students to Germany, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic.  We will be visiting two concentration camps: Dachau and Auschwitz.  The trip is open to all Saugus High School students who are in good academic standing and who have no disciplinary issues.  The youngsters attending this trip, as long as they attend SHS, will be eligible to attend.  I've taken Freshman with me on all trips that I've run and encourage you to consider this experience for your child.  If interested, you can check out more information by clicking here.  I'll be hosting an informational meeting in the Saugus High School library on June 25th at 6:30pm.  Anyone interested can receive additional information by emailing me at rlavoie@saugus.k12.ma.us.

 We had a quick lunch at the Ronald Reagan building and then made our way to see the Martin Luther King, Jr memorial.  This monument was quite impressive and literally and figuratively showcased the progress that Dr. King had made in the Civil Rights Movement.

From the MLK, Jr. Memorial we walked towards the Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial.  If you've never been to DC, you have to understand that famous monuments are everywhere even when you don't expect them.  The Capital and the Washington Memorial seem to dominate the skyline.

 The FDR memorial is one of the cooler places we visited today.  The shade provided by the nearby trees and the gentle breeze complimented by the rushing of water at the multitude of waterfalls quickly made this site one of our favorites.  The memorial is divided into four sections, each one representing a term of FDR's presidency.

 After visiting these memorials, we drove past Embassy Row and saw a plethora of foreign flags hanging proudly outside of the corresponding embassies.  At the conclusion of this jaunt, we arrived at the National Cathedral.  This cathedral stands over 300 feet tall and is very reminiscent of the cathedrals I've seen in Europe.  It is always a cool thing to see someone who is visiting their first cathedral and I saw many wide eyes and jaws dropped.  We had a really interesting tour and I think the kids learned quite a bit.

We returned to our hotel and began our preparations for the evening's dance.  I tried to grab a couple of photos of students from other buses.  If you are reading this blog and haven't seen your child, I apologize.  I am trying...but there are so many kids, lol.  Feel free to encourage them to come up to me if the opportunity presents itself and I can try to work them into a photo.

 As you can tell, the kids all looked great and they were excited for the dance.  We learned we'd be sharing the boat with students from Dover-Sherborne.

Our boat was the Cherry Blossom.  It was a traditional looking river boat with two decks for dancing and food galore.  The kids seemed to have a great time and I think some made some new friends.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the dance.  Some of the chaperons had to volunteer to stay off of the boat because of the capacity allowed on the Cherry Blossom.  We decided to grab dinner at the Chart House.  A fine dining establishment overlooking the river.  We were surprised to learn that the tour company was picking up the tab for our inconvenience.  It was a pleasant surprise and dinner was great!!!

Well, It is almost 12:30 and we've got a long day ahead of us.  I was pleased to see so many people reading this blog and even commenting.  Your words were welcomed and appreciated.  I hope that this type of platform is an innovative way to connect you to your child's experience in our Nation's capital and that you are enjoying these posts.  Till tomorrow...

Mr. Lavoie, currently splitting time between his blogging and the Bruins game which has just entered another overtime period.  My fingers are crossed that the B's will win, but my eyes are telling me I wont know until the morning.