Washington, D.C. - The Mall

We got to see some of the inauguration and wedding dresses from a number of the first ladies over the years, and a fascinating display on the history of computers. The Commodore 64 was a great laugh, especially when a young teen walked past and commented 'Wow - it's a computer and a tv!'.

After the museum closed we made our way down to the Washington Memorial (which has construction all around it), the World War II memorial which I thought was a lovely place to sit and contemplate life.

The Reflecting Pool was not what I expected - it was not clean, there was algae floating on the top, and the ducks loved it. It was disappointing as a national icon.

The Lincoln Memorial more than made up for it, even though the 89 steps were a struggle for my tired legs. Lincoln was more impressive than I had expected. At dusk we sat on the steps and watched the Washington Monument change colours in the light, from pink to cream.

Inside the Lincoln memorial there are a couple of his speeches etched into the side walls, while he sits tall over the landscape. I have read somewhere that his hands read 'A' and 'L' in sign language.

Tomorrow we will go back and finish off the museum, and hopefully see some more sights.