What happens when Valentine's Day falls on exploration day (Saturday) in a city where you've never celebrated Valentine's Day before when they are celebrating Lincoln's 200th birthday? You spend the day with your Valentine exploring the new city and new things and dining in a fine local eatery. At least that is what we did! It was quite different than our years of heart-shaped pizzas at Alfy's.
We started out the day in DC (no surprise there, huh?). In celebration of the 200th birthday of Abe Lincoln's birth, the National Archives held a four day viewing of THE Emancipation Proclamation. It was a piece of history that we wanted to go see. We had recently watched a History Channel special about Lincoln's motives for freeing the slaves and its impact on the nation and the war. We can hardly imagine the enormity of this act at the time.
(While there, we also saw one of the few remaining copies of the Magna Carta. If you are coming for a visit, you may want to stop here to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. )
Photographs had to be sans flash, so we "borrowed" these (two of the five). It was fascinating seeing Abe's actual signature on the page.
From there we walked to Ford's Theater. On the way we stopped to see the Naval Memorial.
And passed by a beautiful old stone church ....
Then we arrived at Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was shot ...
And then toured the house across the street where Lincoln was taken to die, where he passed the next morning.
OK, all that sounds really depressing for a Valentine's Day, doesn't it? So my Valentine and I got all dressed up and went to Flemings Steakhouse for a wonderful meal,
and then home for a dessert of chocolate-dipped strawberries!
Now that's a Valentine's Day we will always remember!!
2 comments:
I am so sorry about Punkin! You guys know how much I love my pets and I understand your sadness. Love you, Lisa!
Such fascinating places! I can't wait to see them for myself :)
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