We slept in late, and enjoyed it a lot. Then we were on our way, boarding the Metro bound for Arlington Cemetery. Yesterday's funny moment was provided by my Mom hopping the fence. Today was Mark's turn. He was so excited to get off the train, he ran for the exit without looking. He reached a pole before he reached the exit, smacking face first into it. (It's okay to laugh -- he wasn't hurt, just momentarily stunned.)
Arlington Cemetery was beautiful. It's just so breathtaking to see all those headstones lined up like soldiers at attention. We stopped to see John Kennedy's grave and the Eternal Flame, as well as the amazing view from the plateau there. Next was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where Mark watched, fascinated, as a Marine marched exactly 21 steps, stopped for 21 seconds, turned and marched back another 21 steps. ("I counted twice," Mark said.)
That was impressive in itself. But as we loaded onto the waiting Tourmobile bus, we saw something even more impressive. "We'll wait here a few minutes," the driver told us. "As you know, Arlington is a working cemetery, and we have a funeral procession coming by."
I thought he meant funeral procession as in the departed's family and friends driving over to the grave site. So I sat there, staring idly out the window, admiring the view and waiting patiently. Suddenly, I heard a thump thump thump, and over the hill marched a set of four Marines, each playing a drum.
Wow, I thought, how nice. But that wasn't the end of it. Soon, a wave of Marines appeared right after, in their dress blues, with guns hoisted upright on their shoulders. There was a whole bunch of them -- at least 60, and they kept marching on, more and more of them. It looked like a whole platoon of them (or regiment, or whatever large group it is that Marines travel in).
Right behind them was a group of white horses, six of them, pulling a cart with a flag-draped casket on it. The riders held flags aloft as they rode. That was really breathtaking -- an American hero on their way to a final resting place.
Finally, behind all the Marines and the casket was a single black riderless horse. I think that symbolized the fallen soldier. The horse was followed by the family, walking behind the cart, dressed in very somber black clothes.
It was the most moving thing I've seen. I wish I could share pictures of the beautiful sight, but photos would've seemed intrusive.
After the funeral procession passed, the Tourmobile headed down the hill. We changed buses, riding over to the Lincoln Memorial. But we changed our plans almost immediately -- our stomachs were grumbling. Instead, we rode the Tourmobile until we saw another amazing sight -- the White House. We learned that there used to be a big fence along the perimeter -- to keep cattle, not people, out! (Apparently, the President didn't like animals grazing on the White House lawn.)
The bus driver said that if we hadn't eaten lunch yet, there were some good restaurants nearby, including the Old Ebbits Grill. We'd heard lots about the Old Ebbits Grill -- it hosts tons of Senators and Congresspeople, and is a famous political hangout. It's the place to go if you like politics -- sort of a political rock star hangout.
We walked a couple blocks up the street until we found it. It was mid-afternoon, about 3 o'clock, and there was no line. We got a table right away. It was warm inside, so we were very happy (it was about 20 degrees again today -- really cold!).
My mom and I decided to order two entrees and split them. We chose a lobster roll and the crabcakes, and I think it was the best decision we've made all week! They were AWESOME! The crabcakes came with a side of yams au gratin, or something similar--really, they were just baked yams smothered in butter. We sat there for an hour, savoring every last bite, and then topped it off with an order of ice cream sliders. We had a loooong leisurely lunch -- about two hours, and enjoyed every moment of it.
It was almost dark by the time we left. We bought a couple souvenir buttons outside, then realized we were outside a political stuff store -- you could buy ANYTHING Obama, including sweatshirts, buttons, towels, posters, glasses (shot and water). You name it, they had it, with Obama embossed on it somewhere. And the store was PACKED (and heated!). There were at least 20 people in each line, and they weren't buying a button or two -- they were spending $100, $200 on memorabilia. And of course, they were just as kind and friendly as they've been the past few days, talking to each other in line, and asking over and over again, "Isn't this the most incredible week ever?"
The best part of the store was that we accomplished another mission. My mom really wanted a picture with new President Barack Obama, and this was our chance. Here they are:
The funniest part was that as my Mom stood up from the picture, she knocked over President Obama, and everyone yelled out, "Oh no!" They reacted like she'd knocked over the real President, not a carboard cutout of him! I pretended not to know her, and said, "Oh, she didn't mean to!" But God likes to laugh at me, and wanted to prove that in our family, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The moment I stood up after my picture, I did the same thing, and also knocked the President over.
Our bellies full and pockets empty, we left the building. We wandered over to the White House, which was lit up, but hidden behind all the parade bleachers. We saw the big protective bubble the President and First Family sat in last night to watch the parade, and took pictures in front of it. (We've spent our whole trip a day behind the President, saying, "President Obama was here yesterday!")
And that was our low-key day. We saw some cool stuff, and still managed to take it somewhat easy. But again, we had another spectacular day. I thought all the days would be a let-down after Inauguration Day, but boy, was I wrong. Each day just keeps getting better.
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