More on Washington

So Washington cruised by way too fast, now that I'm able to sit back and think--its a pretty incredible place. Shonet and I have had the privilege to visit London and Rome--perhaps the most powerful cities in the past 2000 years (?), and now being in Washington there's something amazing, yet fragile about being there. The buildings are great, the museums incredible, but everything is made by humans--and nothing humans create lasts. We saw this in Rome for sure. Those reflections aside, I have to say my two favorite spots were the Lincoln Memorial and the Holocaust museum. If you've never been to either of these, in my humble estimation they are a MUST in Washington. Shonet had desired to see the spy museum but declined fearing that she would be too freaked out for the rest of our trip--I'm pretty sure all it is, is a museum of the old MAD comic strip 'Spy vs. Spy'--I think. Anyway, to more serious stuff: just the approach to the Lincoln memorial creates a humility in you, its massive, and as you take the long, long walk from the WWII memorial (sobering and beautiful in itself), you are reminded how small you are. The memorial looks like something out of ancient Greece and it faces towards the Capitol Building (their parliament)--about 2 miles away. There Lincoln sits, with a determined and bold expression on his face with an unobstructed view of the Capitol Building, almost saying 'I'm watching'. Many of his memorable speeches are engraved in the walls, you get a really good idea why there is so much patriotism in the US once you've been to the Lincoln memorial.
The Holocaust museum is something that is difficult to describe. I thought I would cry walking through it, but I didn't. Not because I wasn't sad, but because I don't think that was the emotion the museum is designed to draw out from each person--rather, there was a sense of fear, claustrophobia (the place is designed a little like a concentration camp...and is meant to feel tight), and shock. No pictures are allowed in the main areas, but the images remain. No one speaks throughout the place, its quiet and eerie. When you finally leave you want to weep, scream, and applaud anyone who attempted to liberate those camps. After visiting the Lincoln memorial, walking the paths of the Vietnam memorial and then finishing the day at the Holocaust museum was a combination that will take some time to digest, especially being there with my 2 year old son. None of those places were on my 'map' of conferences, yet they have done their part to raise questions about world issues and history.
Ken