Have you ever known the day you were about to have would be life-changing? When I woke up at four in the morning on March 23rd, I knew it would be one of those strange, sweet days. I had been waiting to go on the eighth grade Washington trip for as long as I could remember. I blame my father; he told me the stories of the year’s trips since before I even knew what Washington was. As we gathered in Ace’s Country Cupboard, I was filled with adrenaline. Finally, the moment had come.      

After hours on a bus, we stood on one of the most hallowed grounds in our nation: Gettysburg. The eerie sense of history, legend, and modern significance that hinged on this now peaceful park was tangible as we walked through the green trees and rolling hills. As we left Gettysburg behind us, now enriched with knowledge and the fresh air, we settled in for more time on our big blue bus.

The bus let us off in the sprawling metropolis of Washington, D.C, an overwhelming center of commerce and diversity, which took some adjusting to for us all, coming from the serene, peaceful area we are from. After a brief meal in the center of action that is Union Station, we met up with our tour guide and set off into the city. In the dark of night, the monuments blazed like stars, and to see epic sized statues of presidents, architectural wonders, and even the mythic White House, which has captured our imaginations for years, was an awe-inspiring experience.

Despite the rain and gloom of the next morning, we still set out onto the mall, meeting up with President FDR, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, President Lincoln, and heroes of WWII, Vietnam, and the Korean Wars, or, at least, where they are memorialized, their feats forever enshrined in stone for the world to marvel at and remember.

We then retreated into the safety of our bus, warmed ourselves, and took a detour into Arlington, Virginia. The white tombs that house the remains of our bravest soldiers standing row on row was a reminder of the fact that freedom is not at all free, and those who bought our freedom deserve our appreciation. Nowhere is this practiced and displayed more than the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, where three veterans from Korea and the first and second World Wars who could not be identified rest under eternal guard. To be part of a wreath laying ceremony, something I’d hoped to do for quite some time, gave me a sense of pride. It was well worth being soaked in the rain. Just as we stood there, the sun came out over the tomb. It was beautiful and emotional. We ended the day at Medieval Times, a heart pumping, entertaining joyride from beginning to end.

The next day was Smithsonian day. We started at the Air and Space museum, where everything you could imagine that had to do with American Aviation is housed; from Apollo shuttles to Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.  The most visited museum in the world is crammed full of priceless artifacts that illustrate why aviation and navigation are crucial to the way our world functions.

Next, we cut across to the Holocaust Museum. This museum did a fantastic job of illustrating the horror and evil of the Holocaust, but also demonstrating the endurance of the human spirit under terrible circumstances. The museum was an emotional highlight that reminded us all why bigotry and hatred will never win.

     After a stroll to Ford’s Theatre and the house where Lincoln died, we set out to the museum of Natural History. This museum gorgeously done and housed some of the greatest natural wonders, from the Hope Diamond to prehistoric tools made by Neanderthals. This museum was a fun and informative place full of wonders of our beautiful world.

It was bittersweet leaving our capital the next morning. After being in such a breathtaking historic environment for so long and seeing all these wonderful things, I didn’t want to leave it all behind. I thought, “There’s still so much more to see! To do!” You cannot visit Washington only once, but many times, to truly understand and appreciate all that it has to offer. I hope I have the opportunity to return again and again so I can do so, for this trip only scratched the surface as far as what the city has to offer. Until then, I will cherish the memories I formed from this trip, which gave us the opportunity to appreciate the beautiful capital of our nation.