Sunday, March 26th

Washington, D.C.

We made an attempt at the Washington Monument today but by the time we got there, the timed tickets for the day were gone.  I have some sort of jinx with that place.  It took forever to for me to get there the first time.  We'll see if we can give it one more shot before we go.

The main event was the Natural History Museum.  So much to see there, from fossils and gems to a live insect zoo.  Then we got really brave and went to 3 art galleries, the Freer Gallery of Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and the National Museum of African Art.  We lost the kids entirely.  (No comment on the grown-ups.)  A fast exit and a long brisk walk around the monuments was our only hope.

We went across the Potomac to get a few pictures of the Pentagon, came back and visited the FDR Memorial, saw the Korean War Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial and then took a nice long rest on a bench along Constitution Avenue.  Then we regathered our strength and headed up past the Old Executive Office Building to see the White House. 

The final stop was Les Halles, our favorite French restaurant in the whole world.  After a delicious meal, we concluded with Crepe Suzettes all around.  The table-side preparation is merely a prelude to the exquisite flavor of the crepes.  One short walk to the Metro and we were back in our hotel.  Only two more days left ...