Today was an odd kind of day. The boys were really tired and found it tough to get moving. I was up and ready to go at 7 this morning. I'm not sure what it is, I suppose I'm just anxious to get out and moving. We had tickets for the 10:00 tour at Ford's Theatre and we actually missed it. We didn't get into Washington until 11:30 or so. Thankfully, getting tickets for 1:00 wasn't a problem.
Here's a little history lesson for you. I learned this all today, by the way. Check out my retention skills!! (ok, I had a *little* help here.)
Lincoln was shot by a guy by the name of John Wilkes Booth. Booth was a very famous actor, kind of like today's Brad Pitt or Robert Redford. Booth, being a Confederate sympathizer, was involved in 2 failed attempts to kidnap Lincoln in February and March of 1865. In early April of 1865, after hearing a speech made by Lincoln about allowing black soldiers to vote, Booth decided that Lincoln should be killed. He finally found his opportunity on April 14th, 1865. He snuck into Lincoln's balcony where he was watching a play at the theatre and shot him at point blank range with a Derringer pistol, with the bullet entering his left ear, lodging in his forehead.
(see Lincoln's balcony on the top left?)
Booth dropped the gun, jumped 12 feet from the balcony onto the stage where he broke some bones in his ankle but was able to run away. Apparently he was shot and killed 12 days later.
Interesting, eh?
Hellish hot today again. We walked for miles and miles and miles in the heat down Pensyvania Avenue...
but still had energy for smiles:
On our way to the Holocuast Museum we were going to stop at the Museum of American History but we just didn't have the time. We walked by it though!
Holocaust museum was next. Not much I can say about that other than a few things that will stay burned into my memory forever: a corridor of shoes, real shoes, thousands and thousands of shoes ripped off the feet of those before they were gassed; pictures of the numbers tattooed on the arms of those in concentration camps; stories of children ripped from their parents and, in most cases, immediately killed. This is a Museum not to be missed. Very tastefully done yet brutally honest. It can take a good 3 hours to see it all. We did it in just over 2. It was incredibly emotional and I feel so honoured to have seen it. Thanks to Aunty Marcy for pushing the suggestion. I would have never thought of going otherwise.
Needless to say the metro ride to the shuttle bus was very somber, each lost in our own thoughts.
Tomorrow we head to New York, stopping in Gettysburg for a quick tour of the battlefield.
I am aniticipating there being a few internet cafe's in New York but I'm not sure when I'll be able to blog. Stay tuned though! More to come. Holiday isn't even half over yet.
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