DC: Smithsonian Museums and Holocaust Museum

After we checked out of our hotel we went on another full day of sightseeing! This day was dedicated to the Smithsonian- but it turns out we are the worst museum goers ever. I wanted to run through and see everything quickly and Scott wanted to read every plaque and take it all in. This combo was at times a good balance, but it also left us kind of frusterated haha!

Our first stop was the Museum of American History where we saw the original Star Spangled Banner

You weren't allowed to take pictures, but Scott says that this is the place he felt the most emotional in our jaunts through downtown. It was pretty powerful!

Then we went to a million exhibits and happily watched some "live history" presentation, but the best was  the American Treasures Exhibit. They had EVERYTHING. From Benjamin Franklin's cane to the original bottle of the first polio vaccination. Everything. We were there forever.

(This photo is for our mom's- my mom was pretty excited about Archie Bunker's chair, and  my MIL loves Bob Dylan)

I didn't know this- but they have a sun stone from the Navoo Temple in this exhibit! It was pretty amazing to see our Mormon heritage represented with an ACCURATE account of our ancestors persecution and exodus to Salt Lake. For a while, I just sat and watched people read the plaques because I thought it was so awesome they were getting correct information!

We hit up the American President's Exhibit (this picture was way funnier in person and not blurry)

 

I loved the first lady exhibit- all those dresses! We were trying to hurry but I wish I would have taken a picture (or 50). 

Next, we headed back the Holocaust Museum where we had tickets for the main exhibit. Georgia was not too thrilled since she was crazy tired and it was kind of stressful because the exhibit is really narrow and everyone is quiet and reverent. We found a back room though and put her to sleep- THEN we were able to really take it all in. The most moving part for me was the shoes. We were not allowed to take pictures, but here is one from online:

The poem above the shoes reads: 

"We are the shoes, We are the last witnesses.

We are shoes from grandchildren and grandfathers.

From Prague, Paris and Amsterdam

And because we are only made of fabric and leather

And not flesh and blood, each one of us avoided the Hellfire."

There is so much personality in a shoe, and it really hit home how real the whole thing was.

There was also a quote by Heinrick Heine on the wall early in the exhibit that read: "Where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people also." How true that is, no?

Onward we went to the National Archives Museum where we saw the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. Epic.

There were more places we wanted to go but we were all so tired and kind of losing it (sad- we missed our tour of the National Treasury). But we had one more stop- the White House!

All in all a crazy crazy day but one well spent :)