Washington DC trip

My Mother and I took the kids to Washington DC. My parents had organized a special trip to tour the White House. I have never been inside the White House so this trip was very exciting for us.

The first day we arrived in DC we went to the National Archives as I wanted the children to see the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. My father informed me that we have a ancestor that signed the Declaration of Independence. My daughter took great interest in trying to find his signature and picture while visiting the Archives.


We found a picture of our ancestor,
Lyman Hall as well as his signature on the Declaration of Independence.
Very exciting. I am told were are desendents of his daughter Rachel but if you look on Wikipedia it says he had a son and no mention of a daughter, go figure.


The next day we went to do a tour of the White House. I don't have any pictures to show you as cameras were not allowed in. In fact, the list of rules of what you can't take in is incredible. I wasn't even allowed to bring my purse and store a camera for later:(. We went though 2 separate security checks in order to gain access to the White House. We saw about 7 rooms total. What amazed me the most was how small the rooms were. The official dining room can only hold 140 people. The famous picture of John Travolta and Princess Diana dancing was in the foyer of the White House. We were not allowed to tour the gardens at all. However a security guard did point out a Magnolia tree outside the window that Andrew Jackson supposedly planted:)



Now that we are living overseas and are fortunate to visit foreign cities and famous buildings in Europe. I must say I came away from visiting our capital with a greater sense of pride of the city. We may not have the fancy architecture that other cities have but I reminded myself that DC wasn't built until the 1800's. The city was clean (at least the part we were in) and has so much to offer and most free. Living overseas and studying the Revolutionary War with my children has given me better insight and understanding into Washington DC. As Americans we are so lucky and blessed compared to many other parts of the world. Too bad there are some that would rather tear America down rather than appreciate the many wonderful opportunities there are available. This may have been a field trip for the children but maybe it was I who learned the most!