September 24-October 3, 2017

Our reason for including Washington, D.C. on our itinerary was two-fold. First of all, we looked forward to sailing Marco Polo up the historic Potomac River past Mount Vernon and secondly, Captain Pete's 50-year high school reunion from the American School in Beirut was September 29-October 1st in D.C.

After more than four months into our sailing adventure, we reached Washington, D. C. The weather was glorious upon our arrival. We decided to visit as many outdoor monuments as possible and if the weather changed, museums would be a good rainy day option. On Monday we walked to the National Mall and caught a trolley to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. The grounds and the monument itself were peaceful and impressive. Passages from the Declaration of Independence and other Jefferson writings surround the 19-ft. tall statue of our third U.S. President. From there we walked to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. This was one of our favorites. You could sense FDR's strength and humanity by the inspiring quotes selected for his monument as well as the decision to depict him sitting in his wheelchair with his little dog by his side. Serving as president for 12 years he is ranked by most political scientists and historical scholars as one of the top three U.S. presidents. From here we walked to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Dr. King's statue designed by Chinese sculptor, Lei Yixin is carved in white granite and named "The Stone of Hope." It was a very majestic rendering of Dr. King. Next up was the Korean War Veterans Memorial. This one is eerily realistic as you walk close to a column of 19 larger than life-size soldiers in full combat gear. The figures represent a platoon on patrol. They are surrounded by granite and juniper bushes representing the rough Korean terrain. I visited this monument several years ago on a rainy October night and it made quite an impression on me. Seeing it in daylight was moving but the images of our brave soldiers on patrol that cold and misty night will always stay in my mind's eye. Another striking tribute was the Vietnam's Women's Memorial. This statue commemorates over 265,000 women, mostly nurses, who served during the Vietnam era. During our stay we also visited the National WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Arlington Cemetery. At the three war memorials and Arlington Cemetery we saw many former servicemen visiting under the Honor Flight Network program. Some were very elderly WWII veterans. The Network's mission is to transport America's Veterans to D.C. to visit those memorials dedicated to honor the service and sacrifices of themselves and their friends. By the emotional expressions on their faces, you could tell they were likely recalling many memories.

We spent two days in the National Gallery of Art. Focusing on Dutch Masters and some European works the first day. The second day we saw the work of numerous American artists. Both Pete and I were captivated by the "Voyage of Life", a series of paintings created by American artist, Thomas Cole representing an allegory of the four stages of human life: childhood, youth, manhood, and old age. You find yourself reflecting on your own life.

We visited the National Air and Space Museum over a two-day period. One activity we really enjoyed was the IMAX film Aircraft Carrier: Guardians of the Sea 3D. Wearing your nifty 3-D glasses, you found yourself aboard the aircraft carrier as 5,000 highly skilled sea and air personnel carry out flight operations during a simulated war exercise. I was particularly impressed seeing how the aircraft stopped by "hooking" the cable on the landing area of the aircraft. Wow!

A personal highlight of our stay was attending Pete's 50th class reunion. On Friday afternoon we had an impromptu gathering on Marco Polo. Fifteen classmates and guests enjoyed sharing memories, lunch and adult beverages. That evening quite a few classmates were at the "meet and greet", many of whom Pete had not seen since his school days in Beirut. He had a great time catching up with everyone. Saturday night the entire group gathered at Bacchus of Lebanon in Bethesda and had a fabulous family-style Lebanese feast. Monday evening six of us had dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington's oldest saloon. It was a great finale to our week in Washington.

Of interest to those cruisers planning trips to D.C., the waterfront area where we docked was days away from completing a 2.5 billion dollar expansion project which included new marina facilities' for the Capital Yacht Club. Numerous businesses such as retail shops, a marine store, restaurants, hotels and condos where also getting ready to open. It was a beehive of activity when we were there but promises to be a first-class place to stay or dock your boat.

The next day we left as scheduled heading down the Potomac River with overnight stops planned for the three marinas we stayed in on the way to D.C.

Next blog posting: Cruising to our Winter Port- Charleston, S.C.


Take care,
Barbara and Captain Pete