I tell people every day I have the best job in the world. I literally get up and do what I LOVE to do: work with animals. Now there are the ups and downs. Sometimes it’s not too fun spending hours upon hours cleaning and scrubbing. In the end though, the rewards are incredible. Working with animals has taken me to many amazing places. Just recently I was fortunate enough to visit a tropical paradise teeming with wildlife: The Seychelles. Now getting there wasn’t easy. The Seychelles are a group of islands located off the East coast of Africa; literally half way around the world! In a series of the next few blogs I’m going to take you step by step through my journey.
I know what you are probably thinking…Where’s the tropical paradise? You are actually looking at our Nation’s Capital. The first stop on my journey was Washington, D.C. We had a 12 hour layover so we decided to rent a car and explore the city. I have never been to D.C. so you can imagine how excited I was! Here is the first actual picture I took at sunrise.
We had a lot on our agenda and the first thing was to find the White House. You think it wouldn’t be hard to find…for us it was! After mistaking several buildings for it we finally found it!
For those of you who have never seen the White House in person; it is incredibly small! I also was shocked at how close the public could get to it.
Next stop was the Arlington National Cemetery. Here over 300,000 soldiers, generals, slaves, presidents, and even astronauts are buried. One of the most famous grave sites is the Kennedys. Here is JFK’s grave and if you look closely behind it you will see the eternal flame. Visiting Arlington made me appreciate all the men and women who have fought for the beautiful country we live in.
Here is the Washington Monument. It stands at a staggering 555 feet making it the tallest stone structure in the world. I was so excited to go to the very top and see the breathtaking views.
Up at the very top of the monument you can see the reflection pool and straight across is the Lincoln Memorial. Remember Forest Gump? All I could see is Jenny screaming “Forest!” running through the shallow pool.
Here I’m standing at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. As a kid I remember reading books about this wall and learning about all the people who come and visit each and every year. Some etch out family member names; others drop flowers to pay their respects for the men and women who lost their lives fighting in the Vietnam War.
You are looking at one of the most famous sites in Washington D.C: The Ford’s Theatre where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. He was shot in the Presidential Box straight ahead. Other artifacts at the theatre include the gun he was assassinated with and his bloodstained pillow.
Even though we had only hours to experience our Nation’s Capital I have to say it is one of my favorite cities. I hope to return one day with more time and to visit the zoo! Next stop ROME