Washington DC (District of Columbia) has a distinct European feel to it - lots of old stately public buildings and terraced houses. We were there while the city was getting ready for the Inauguration of President Obama so most buildings had patriotic red, blue and white banners.
The city is defined by 'The Mall' an avenue of monuments and grand buildings including the US Capitol, The White House, Washington Monument, The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, The Reflecting Pool and many more all paying homage to America's founding forefathers.
The Lincoln Memorial is awesome. A majestic building with a modest sculpture of the man who fought for Democracy and the abolition of slavery.
Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) was the 16th president of the US who lead the country through the Civil War (1861 - 1865) famously quoted in the Gettysburg Address 'that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth' he managed to rein in all the States to create a true democracy. Lincoln however most importantly saw slavery as hypocritical for a nation founded on the principle that 'all men are created equal' so in 1863 he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. So it was very apt that Martin Luther King Jnr stood on the steps of this monument to deliver his 'I have a Dream' in his fight for equality.
It was cold when we got to Washington DC there was talk of a cold front coming through and snow so we were getting acclimatised for what was to come in NY.
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| Oren was cold and tired. |
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| The step Martin Luther King Jnr stood on to make his speech at Lincoln Memorial. |
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| The Reflection Pool that links the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Memorial obelisk and Capitol in the background. |
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