Today we enjoy the beauty of Eastern Tennessee and the state of Vir- ginia as we travel toward our nation’s capital city. After a lunch stopat Salem,Virginia, afternoon finds us traveling through the beautifulShenandoah Valley toward our hotel for the next four nights in the Washington, D.C. area.

We have three full days to see and enjoy the many sights our capital city has to offer. Enjoy a tour of the Capitol Building (if open) with its impressive dome and the White House (just drive by— probably will not be open for tours) where every American President except George Washington has lived; visit Arlington National Cemetery and the grave of President John F. Kennedy, which is marked by the Eternal Flame, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where you will view the Changing of the Guard; Lincoln Memorial situated in West Potomac Park; the Jef- ferson Memorial; the Roosevelt Memorial; the Vietnam Memorial; the World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument. We ride down Embassy Row and see the Washington Cathedral…the Smithsonian Mu- seums, the National Air and Space Museum, the Museums of American and Natural History. We will see the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the famous Watergate Buildings. George Washington’s Mount Vernon is not only America’s most popular historic home—it is also the country’s oldest historic preservation project. As you walk through the Mansion adorned with original heirlooms, you will explore historyfirsthandandgettoknowthe”real”GeorgeWashington. OntheAprildeparture, you should be able to enjoy the beauty of the Japanese Cherry Trees. The annual springtime festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 Japanese cherry trees from Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki, who gave the trees to Washington in an effort to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan. You will see hundreds of cherrytrees which line the Tidal Basin . . .nature’s floral tribute to the season!Regardless of when you visit our nation’s capital, you will agree that it is always beautiful and there is much to see and do.

We can now say that we have a better understanding of our nation, its rich history, and its center of government. We arrive back in Knoxville by late afternoon anxious to share our trip with family and friends.