Aug. 5 - Washington, DC

Day 140 - Arlington Cemetery

Gangplank Marina

We took the Metro (subway) to Arlington Cemetery this morning. The weather was perfect...a little cloudy and much cooler than it's been lately, so we were very comfortable walking around. We visited Kennedy's Grave and walked to the Tomb of the Unknowns. This is a beautiful place and the views of the Potomac River and Washington are amazing. All this land was once the home of Robert E. Lee; they were forced to leave when he resigned his commission with the U. S. Army at the beginning of the Civil War. One of the most interesting places to visit in Arlington Cemetery is Arlington House, the Lees' family home...so much history in one place. Lee's wife was the great granddaughter of George Washington. A national cemetery was established on Lee’s property in 1864 to bury the Union dead, and to ensure the Lee family would not be able to return after the war.

We spent part of the afternoon riding around the neighborhoods near the Capital, then rode by the National Archives…we thought we would like to see the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We changed our minds when we saw the line…it was all the way down the block! So…we decided to go back to the Natural History Museum and see a few things we missed earlier in the week.

Metro station at L'Enfant Plaze

Our ride to Arlington Cemetery

Arlington Cemetery

Arlington House

Eternal flame at John F. Kennedy's grave

The Tomb of the Unknowns

Waiting for a funeral to begin

View of the Pentagon from the Old Amphitheater at Arlington Cemetery

The view from Arlington House

Houses around the Capital

Dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum