Library of Congress and Arlington

Today we toured the Library of Congress and visited Arlington National Cemetary. The Library of Congress is an absolutely beautiful building. The government spent millions of dollars on it. I'm not sure what I think of that. All these memorials and buildings, built with millions of dollars . . . seems like perhaps it would have been more beneficial to us as a nation to have those dollars invested in people. Libraries are important though - I myself couldn't live without one. There is a quote from Jefferson saying "I could not live without books", and I must say I can relate to that. It is ironic that we started the tour with a very nice video that stressed over and over again that this was OUR library, and then we couldn't even go in the reading room, which was a deep disappointment to me. Evidently over the years, those that were using the room for research were disturbed by the presence of the tours. However, times are achanging, and now most people get their research from the Library via the internet. There were only 2 people in there while we were touring so I think they need to change the rule! You can go in if you get a pass, which takes about 15 minutes, but you have to be prepared to say what you will research. Once inside you get assigned to a table and then your research is brought to you. I just wanted to sit in there for maybe 5 minutes and absorb the ambiance. I mean, you couldn't even take pictures and had to view the room through a glass enclosure!

Arlington Cemetary and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Arlington Cemetery is so vast. You know going in that it is big, but it's hard to comprehend the size of it once you're there. It is a beautiful and peaceful place. The birds that hang out there have a beautiful song. So many lives sacrificed. One thing I didn't know was that wives can be buried with their husbands at Arlington. I don't know if I would want my son or daughter buried there. I know they would be in heaven, but I think I would want to be able to visit the gravesite. We had beautiful weather for our visit, sunny and high 60s or low 70s. We also visited the Robert E. Lee memorial which is on the hill above the cemetery. He is the only person who fought against the United States for whom a memorial has been given. The house (memorial) actually belonged to Curtis Washington and was captured during the war by Lee and his soldiers.

We shared the viewing of the changing of the guard with veterans from World War II. They all wore caps saying John Hancock Memorial Flight. Their hats had pins on them with a picture of Elizabeth Dole's brother. One of the volunteers traveling with them told us that Elizabeth sponsored the trip. Their presence made the changing of the guard more meaningful for us.