Blogging the Honeymoon...IN REAL TIME!!!!

Sometimes, when people go on honeymoons, they go places where their major responsibilities include things like (A) drinking the included drinks at their all-inclusive resort and (B) lying on the beach all day. Other people (that would be us) pick places that involve walking ALL OVER THE PLACE in the COLD WEATHER...like Washington, D.C.

Bill (my husband!) and I arrived yesterday to our hotel, which was several blocks (24) away from the Metro station. There was a shuttle that ran to King Street, in Alexandria, but the Metro was still 14 blocks away. No matter! We were on our honeymoon! We set off in the direction of the Metro.

We arrived in D.C. and started making the rounds of the monuments. We saw the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the WW II Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. We could see the Jefferson Memorial in the distance, but we chose not to hike there. After a couple of hours of wandering around, we headed back to Alexandria, a little tired, but none the worse for wear. We stopped at a tapas restaurant for dinner and Sangria, both of which were yummy, and then we caught our shuttle back to the hotel for the night.

The only down point of yesterday was that it was colder than we expected here in D.C. Therefore, we were pretty chilled by the end of the day. Also, when I woke up this morning, I realized that the Dansko clogs that I had chosen as my comfy shoes for walking were not as comfy as I may have thought they were.

Today, we made our first stop, after getting on the Metro after taking a cab down to King Street, a mall at Pentagon City. Let me tell you that the mall was perhaps the mother of all malls. It called to me. My first stop was the Gap, where I chose a scarf and some gloves to help me out. They are lovely and have served me well. However, they were nothing compared to my next purchase. My friends, I was in the midst of a true shoe emergency. Luckily, there was a store in that mother all malls called the Walking Company, which would be the store that would be made if you took all my favorite brands of shoes and kept them all in the same place. Danskos? Yes! Uggs? Yes! Merrills? Yes, yes, yes! I picked out a lovely pair of Merrills and took them with me on my way. These shoes would turn out to be the key to a good honeymoon for both me and Bill (my husband!). I was able to walk without extreme agony, and he didn't have to listen to me whine. We both won!

We then headed off to Arlington National Cemetary. I highly recommend this trip...it was an amazing experience! We saw the tombs of Presidents Taft and Kennedy, along with those of other famous Americans. We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. It was an awe-inspiring visit. However, it involved a lot of walking...a LOT of walking. By the time we arrived at the changing of the guard (just as it was starting), my cheeks were purple and my breathing was a bit labored. However, it was worth the mad dash to make it in time, and since I had my new shoes, I was in good shape!

We then headed into the city, where we went right to the National Holocaust Museum. Again, this is something I really recommend. It is an amazing account of the events that led up to the Holocaust, from the rise of Hitler to the liberation of the concentration camps. It's an important history lesson to learn...but not your typical honeymoon activity. And it is EXHAUSTING! We were there for three hours, easily, and we were on our feet the ENTIRE time. Once again, those shoes were a God-send!

After finishing up at the museum, we headed back to Alexandria to have some dinner at a local Irish pub, which was yummy. And now we are back in our room at 9:00 at night, where I am blogging and Bill (my husband!) is soaking his aching body in a warm bath. Tomorrow, we are aiming for less walking and perhaps more cab riding. I don't think these old bodies can take another day of this!

However, even though this isn't the typical beach honeymoon, it is totally perfect for Bill (my husband!) and me. We love museums and exploring new cities, and we love history. However, we don't love how our feet feel after a day of such exploration, and we were certainly happy to get back to our hotel!!!!

Tomorrow, it's back into D.C. to enjoy some of the Smithsonian, and then we head home to retrieve Otto from my mom and rejoin real life, already in progress. Does the honeymoon really have to end?