Day Thirteen: visiting monuments + driving back to NJ!
- Jul 7, 2018
- 2 min read
Today was another busy day! We visited two monuments, we spent most of the day in the car. To start off the day, we ate breakfast at our hotel. I enjoyed this breakfast more than yesterday! I had two eggs sunny-side up with bacon, toast, and fruit. Once Katarina's family and I finished eating, we went back to our rooms to finish packing our suitcases. We had to check out by 12 pm but we wanted to officially check out earlier.
Once we checked out, we drove to visit the Lincoln Memorial. Luckily, the weather was beautiful today, it wasn't even humid! I had a great time walking around in the sun. The Lincoln Memorial was full of people - I guess everyone decided to visit today! As Michael waited in the car, Katarina, Nikos, Connie, and I walked around and snapped many photos! After we finished visiting the Lincoln Memorial, we walked to the World War II Memorial. On the way there, we had to walk along the Reflection Pool. We saw quite a few cute ducklings! I am still in shock over how many animals roam freely in the United States.
The World War II Memorial was huge! It was a large fountain in the middle and was surrounded by 50 or so large pillars. On each pillar was engraved the name of the state or territory that had fought on the side of the USA during WWII. Katarina, Connie, and Nikos saw the pillar for NJ so they decided to take a picture in front of it. They also took a picture in front of the California and Arizona pillars - their family lives in those two states.
Once we finished taking photos in front of the WWII Memorial and the Washington Monument, we decided that we were done for the day. The four of us walked back to the car - it was quite the walk! Once we got back in the car, it was a consensus decision to end our trip to Washington D.C. and drive back home. But Katarina and her family wanted to make a lunch stop at one of their favorite restaurants, the "Iron Rooster"! It was in Annapolis, MD, which was an hour away from us.
Once we arrived, I was so hungry! Katarina and her family had been telling me about Southern food and I was going to try some! I was very excited. Katarina and Nikos ordered a popular Southern dish called "chicken n' waffles", Connie ordered mac & cheese and grits, and Michael ordered a hamburger. I decided to eat light so I ordered a salad. Goodness, there was so much food! We all finished our plates, I am still in shock over truly how large the portion sizes are in the United States. After paying the bill, we continued to drive back to NJ. Two more hours left to go!
I was so happy to be back at Katarina's house - I can't wait to sleep in a non-hotel bed. Tonight, Michael cooked sautéed calamari with linguini and asparagus. It was delicious! Michael is an awesome cook. After dinner, Katarina, Nikos, Michael, and I finished watching the movie "Fools Rush In". What a great way to finish the day.
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