Day 19

Our last day before orientation. Our last day in Washington DC. We have to get going at a reasonable time tomorrow morning, so I'm going to be lazy tonight and post pictures from my dorm.

Today, we visited museums. First, Mom went with Michael and Beth to finish looking at the Air and Space museum. They also saw some of the items from the American History museum, which have been moved to the Air and Space museum while their home is being renovated. Meanwhile, I went with Dad and Emily to the Holocaust museum. Enjoy is a strong word, but I found it very moving. The permanent exhibit starts on the fourth floor and works its way down to the second. It's a bit long and very intense, explicitly not intended for children. Still, some of the more graphic video clips and photos were displayed behind low walls, so that you couldn't see them by accident. I don't want to go on too long, but it was a very poignant and moving display. I would recommend a visit next time you're in DC.

To move on, we stopped for lunch around 1:30, then went into the Natural History museum. The dinosaur skeletons were pretty cool, but all the fossils got old fast (in my opinion). I really enjoyed the gems display in the geology exhibit. Got to see the Hope diamond and the Tiffany diamond, as well as many beautiful and historical (and really expensive) pieces of jewelry. This gallery is followed by a colorful and glittering display of every kind of gem imaginable. We each got pictures of ourselves with our birthstone, except Michael, who couldn't remember his (September).

We concluded our day with a trip to see the National Portrait Gallery, where we saw many pieces of art featuring every president. We saw the unfinished Washington, and one of his wife, which is apparently the only known image of her in existence. Saw a little portrait of Lincoln created for his election and designed to make him look more attractive than real life! :)
In the American Origins gallery, Ben Franklin is apparently on vacation to Jamestown. We just picked the wrong time to pop in for a visit.

Speaking of wrong times, we had called an information line to learn about an outdoor military concert. But it wasn't there. The phone message hadn't been updated since the beginning of summer. So we headed back to the metro on aching feet, and said goodbye to Washington DC.

Tomorrow we'll be leaving around 9 am to get into Steubenville about 1:30. Once I'm settled in my dorm room and have a bit of time, I'll post and tell you how orientation is going, probably tomorrow night. Until then, good night and God bless,

-Rebekah