Washington....The Rundown!!!!!

For those who don't remember, we visited Washington D.C. earlier this month. If your not up for the nitty - gritty, feel free to exit now, as I am sure this is going to be a very long, very detailed post!!! We had an awesome ride down on Sunday, April 3rd, it was a beautiful day and NO traffic. The trip took less time then we anticipated, so I was one happy camper traveler (I am never a camper)!!!! We left home around 10 a.m. and the first stop was Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Their fire was crackling and the food, delish!!! We made a quick stop at WalMart for a new memory card for the camera and we hit the road. We arrived at Gaylord National Resort around 2 p.m and checked in to our room. Can you just imagine this awesome view from the room......

does this not take your breath away!!!!!!

A completely enclosed "town", with 3 shops, 4 restaurants, a full service salon and

beautiful, colorful fountains, that dance to music, several times each night!!!!!

our room at the Gaylord Hotel..........

We had a pretty awesome dinner at "Ketchup"

that involved these Crab Cake Sliders.......

and this amazing desert!!!!!

 A twinkie soaked in kahlua with mascarpone cheese, fresh fruit, finished with a dusting of coco powder.

This was amazing!!!!!

We stopped for this awesome shot in front of an unusual fountain as we strolled back to the hotel.....

and this great shot in the lobby of the hotel!!!!!

Sunday night we went on a "Monuments by Moonlight" Tour. A 3 hour, nighttime bus tour of all the monuments in D.C. 

it wasn't dark for the first stop, The Capital

the next stop was the World War II Memorial

with a great view of The Washington Memorial in the back drop.

We stopped at The Jefferson Memorial.....

The Lincoln Memorial......

and The White House

this was an amazing tour!!!!!

That's the end of day one, I will not mention that I am completely exhausted.

On to day two!!!! Breakfast in the hotel was glorious. We skipped the buffet, I am not really an "all you can eat, buffet" kind of girl, and we ordered off the menu.

everything was perfect......

including the heart shaped  toast.....

today's gonna be a great day!!!!

Bellies full, we headed out, there was lot's to see and do. Navigating this area during cherry blossom season is a bit of a challenge, one, we Chuck handled nicely. First you have to board "Chariots For Hire" and they take you to "Old Town Trolley". There was a green line, an orange line, be here this time, be there that time, I never knew where I was, on what "thing" I was on. I simply held on tight and stopped trying to figure it out.

The Old Time Trolley, was a hop on, hop off deal, so that worked out well. You were not timed, so you could stay anywhere as long as you wanted. We did one full loop around town and then stopped at the tidal basin, for cherry blossom viewing and photo's. 

This was my favorite picture.....

Tulip Magnolia Tree.....

The Cherry Blossoms were gorgeous.......

a little bit whiter then I had anticipated!!!!

The Jefferson Memorial

I love this picture with The Jefferson Memorial in the back drop......

and lot's of Cherry Blossoms but they are difficult to see!!!!

I have no idea who this is, but I love the picture!!!!

I was trying to imitate the leg crossing thing!!!

We explored the Museum of American History, no pictures.....(I know you are secretly smiling!!!!!)

dinner at Georgia Brown's

Marinated in Sweet Tea this Fried Chicken was amazing,

served with mashed potatoes and braised collard greens...I did not like the collard greens,

they went right onto Chuck's plate and he ate them!!!!

amazing chocolate pecan pie for desert.

Day two is over and  my feet will never forgive me!!!! We did send ourselves postcards, always a nice surprise when we get home. We each fill out one postcard, mail it and we don't read them until we get home. This is a really fun thing to do when you are on holiday!!!

Day three......breakfast in the hotel, I will spare you pictures as I ordered the same thing. Again, it was delicious!!! We loaded the car and checked out of the hotel. We once again boarded "The Chariots For Hire" and headed to D.C. The first stop........

 was the Old Post Office 

We went to the top of the clock tower, for an awesome view of the city.

Next stop.......

The Newseum......

Where five centuries of news history meets up-to-the-second technology on America's Main Street. The Newseum's galleries and theaters immerse you in the world's greatest news stories - the people, the places and the times.

We saw.....

a piece of the Berlin Wall.....

The 9/11 Gallery

and this antenna from the top of tower one.

This area also featured the exact time line from that day

and the front pages of newspapers from all over the world, showing how each country covered the story.

Hundreds of newspapers with noteworthy cover stories!!!!!

The Newseum is located on the very famous Pennsylvania Avenue.

I love this picture Chuck took of me....surrounded by "purple" trees.

we went back to the capital, I have no idea why.....

but we did get this great shot off to the side of The Capital.

I think we got back on "The Old Town Trolley" for a ride to the Hard Rock Cafe. We feasted on brushetta, Macaroni & Cheese with Chicken and a huge chocolate chip cookie, severed warm with vanilla ice cream. Bellies full, we walked (my feet have disowned me) back to The Old Post Office, brought a souvenir "purple" sweatshirt and again boarded SOMETHING that took us back to the hotel and my lovely car. It was time to go home an I was really ready. The End.

If anyone made it this far please let me know.....I REALLY owe you!!!!!