United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Smithsonian Museum Part 1

Today was a more somber day. We visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum and spent about four hours viewing the exhibits and multimedia presentations. It was a time to reflect for both of us. Steve's first job after he and Sue where married was at a print shop where half of the company (including his boss) were Jewish refugees from Poland. His boss was in Warsaw when it was locked down, and he managed to escape. His entire family died in the prison camp. We spent hours talking about the impact of the war. He had returned home to visit his family and was not on the registry. The last few years that Steve taught at the college a class on the Holocaust was presented in the spring. The instructor was able to bring in survivors from the camps who spoke to the students. Steve attended most of the lectures. The stories were incredible.

We then wondered over to the Smithsonian "Castle" to plan our attempt to see the museum. We probably will not beat the record of our daughter who saw the entire museum in 45 minutes when she was 18. We decided to start in the Museum of American History. There a three floors of exhibits. We finished 2 of them in 4 hours. We will return. The top floor shared the history of the birth and growth of our nation. Again we were reminded of the sacrifices that many before us made to make this country what it is today. The day was a great reminder of what others have done, and the impact that it has had on all of us. I also found a picture of the first type of house I remember living in.

The last exhibit was on the inauguration dresses of the first ladies. I found a bench.


We have become Bus/Subway experts. We are taking the car into DC today because parking is free. We will get the subway to the mall after church at the National Cathedral returning to the Smithsonian to finish history and then go to the natural science. Hopefully no no more fashion shows.