Washington Day 2

Slow start this morning, decided to hit some of the museums. The Holocaust Museum was first on the list and we were there for over 2 hours, it is massive. The exhibition is devided into the years leading up to the war, the final solution and then the liberation. This museum is well worth a visit and it brings home that freedom and liberty, the cornerstones of our democracies were so threatened by the Axis powers in WWII. War is a dreadful act but without it we would not be the countries we are now " ...freedom is not free". This quote by one of the Jewish survivors in the exhibition brings home to me why we do have to defend our way of life. How Germans could have taken part in the atrocities is partly explained by the highly effective propaganda generated by the Nazis but does it explain how doctors and nurses could have killed thousands of disabled children and adults? Does it explain how Germans killed 6 million Jews? Can this ever be explained? Maybe not be it should always be remembered. War is evil but it is necessary in some instances. On a lighter note we actually managed to have a hotdog for lunch before going to the National Air and Space Museum. Another wonderful exhibition where we spent the rest of the afternoon. So much to see. You really need a month to even visit all of the museums-which are free. So much knowledge and experience to absorb. Gayle if you and Ken visit Washington, then you will need a long time-Ken will be lost in the museums for at least a week. We know how he needs to read everything! We are now use to the subway and so can easily get around. Very different to other subways but efficient. We called into a pub on the way back to the hotel and decided to have dinner, it wasn't bad or good. What was amusing was listening and watching the university students meeting up for what must be their new semester. I am sure we were the only ones in the pub over 25! George Washington University and hospital is just behind our hotel. It was fun to watch them and listen to their stories of what they did over summer-no we weren't eavesdropping, Americans talk very loudly. They are also very friendly and so polite, a very different impression I have had from meeting them while traveling in other countries. America is really a wonderful country, clean, organized, and great people from many different racial backgrounds.