Other 1997's images
Memories of my 1998's trips
(First Part)
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Memories of my 1998's trip (2nd.Part)
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We left Buenos Aires on January 3rd., for JFK International Airport in New York our destination. From there we traveled onward to Washington DC. When we arrived in Washington DC. Tita and Juan, good friends of my parents, were waiting for us. They live in Virginia, some 20-25 minutes drive from Washington DC. We stayed at their house while in the City. Our stay was quite lovely, and the affection and consideration of Tita and Juan and their family while we were there made us feel great.
Here we are in Tita and Juan's house, shortly after the lunch the day they met us. In the following photo we are next to the Potomac River, in Georgetown, this picture was taken while we were on a stroll. It was a very beautiful day, Washington DC greeted us with a spectacular climate, it really seemed more Autumn than Winter. In the following photo, again at Georgetown, next to a pretty channel. Next to it, we can see a beautiful sunset on the Potomac River. I took this picture... Not bad, eh?
We went to Arlington National Cemetery, the greatest Cemetery in the world, dedicated to the soldiers of the United States who died in combat or to other personalities or illustrious people and their families. I liked the place very much, the hills, the perfect geometrical disposition of the tombs. The ceremony of the Changing of the Guard at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, shown in the photo of the right, was very touching and is very well organized. We visited the Tomb of President Kennedy and his family, and felt a great humbling emotion contemplating a small part of the living history of the United States while standing near the final resting place of the assassinated President Kennedy.
Within what it is known as "The Mall" in Washington DC, there is a assembly of beautiful Museums, dedicated to many interesting subjects. Everything in a space as short as 2 km by 1 km in size. We went to the Museum of the Air and Space, a giant building, because the models inside are of actual size. We enchanted the Command Module of the Module Apollo 11, that traveled to the Moon with astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins. Collins was the one that remained orbiting the Moon in 1969, while his companions landed on the Moon for the first time in the Human History.
It was very interesting to see the airplanes of the pioneers of world-wide aviation, the Spirit of St. Louis of Charles Lindberg, whom was the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean flying nonstop from New York to Orles France.
We were vividly impressed by the exhibition dedicated to the Enola Gay, the airplane that was used to transport the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima in 1945, and which was a very important episode in forcing Japan to surrender. In one 16 minute film, the main protagonist speaks, being today 70 or more years old, and explains the main objectives of each phase of the project as they faced it, the precautions they took, before and after the explosion, etc. The viewing of the film and the contemplation of the reconstructed airplane, with the bomb underneath the fuselage, made us think a while about the fabulous advances that the mind of the man can produce. And also about the direction of hatred and madness in which these advances can take us.
One early morning we drove some 150 km West of the city of Washington DC, towards the Appalachians mountains, to visit the Caverns of Luray. The zone of the Caverns is very pretty, with smooth and rolling hills throughout the way and covered with vegetation. The Appalachian mountains are some 400-500 meters in height. Skyline Drive is a tourist circuit of great beauty, some 40 km long, that crosses the top of the hills and having to the flanks valleys with streams and farms. We glimpsed the Skyline Drive on the way in and we traveled it on the way back to our temporary home.
All the area is contained within the Shenandoah Valley, in the State of Virginia, a valley of incredible beauty and great size. There are 56 caverns discovered and accessible to the traveler, each one different from the others and all lovely to cross. But we went to Luray, that my mother had visited some 28 years before... The photos above are a sample of the incredible beauty of the stalactites and stalagmites caverns which are in some parts partially flooded, by the ground water that continues leaking through the rocks.
Washington DC is a beautiful city, with many things to see. We visited the White House, on a tour that visits some 10-15 halls of the East side of the House. We also visited the National Congress, in the next photo I am in the Room of the Statues, with a Senator Statue behind me. (He was an Astronaut in the NASA space program before being elected Senator, for that reason its statue depicts him wearing his Astronaut's suit. )
We also visited the National Aquarium and some great monuments, like the George Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the beautiful monuments dedicated to the US soldiers fallen in the wars of Vietnam (in the photo) and Korea, etc. The Vietnam Monument is a piece of art, by its conception and construction. One of its arms point toward the Lincoln Memorial and the other to the Washington Monument, its flat surface has thousands of names written on it, each remembering a falling soldier. The people look for their relatives and the air is full of emotion and sadness, despite the many years that have passed after the war's end.
The next photos were taken from the Washington Monument, which has an unforgettable view of Washington's surroundings. In the first one, we see the Potomac River and the Jefferson Memorial in its center. In the second one, we can see "The Mall" with some of its beauty. At the far end, the Congress of the United States marks the geographical center of Washington DC.
Since our trip was so nice and with many interesting things to visit, we feel very sad to finish it here. Let me propose something: We are dividing this trip in three pages, the second one pointing to the Pennsylvania State, with our visit to New York and Philadelphia included The third one to lead us to New Hampshire State, where we left for Boston.
If you agree, prepare yourself for the second part which I promise you will be as good as this one. Just take some time to rest, ask the Cabin attendant for your favorite drink, and look though the window a little bit. But be alert, since I invite you to follow our trip in a minute, sharing my unforgettable experiences in this wonderful vacation trip...
| Other 1997's images |
Memories of my 1998's trip (2nd.Part)
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Updated: June 04, 1998
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