Here come the Marines!

Another warm day in the Capital and one on which the annual Memorial Day Parade is held to honour the nation's war veterans. Constitutional Avenue is closed to traffic and from 2:00pm the mother of all parades begins (Possibly excluding Macey's New Year bash in New York!) Anyway, after having had our morning caffeine kick in Starbucks we walked over to the National Mall where we visited the Smithsonian Museum, to admire its unique collection of ad hoc memerabelia ..... including a watch contained in a nut-shell taken from George Washington's estate, Napolean's napkin, and pieces of the Bastille and Newgate Prison! Not only was our visit culturally rewarding, but it provided shelter from the heat!

From the Smithsonian, we headed over to Constitutional Avenue via the Museum of American Culture, where were entertained by exhibits dedicated to the history of the American Presidency. Here, everyone gets reasobal billing with the exception of Mr Nixon, although he hasn't been totally expunged! By 1:00pm it was time to take a tactical stroll to locate a shady spot from which to view the big parade. Soon we were sitting beneath a tree surrounded by better-prepared locals who had brought chairs etc. (But no alcohol anywhere in sight!)The parade got off on-time and we soon witnessed a seemingly endless array of marching bands and military vets.

It has to be said that the event was colourful, well-organised, and was appreciated by the many spectators, who showed a lot of genuine patriotism. For the cynical, I guess you had to be there! We stuck it out to the grand finale, after which we took five in a lovely French-inspired cafe near the Modern Sculpture Garden. All-in-all, we've thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Washington this time round, particularly as gloriuos weather combined with the National Holiday enabled us to see much more of the city and once again appreciate its residents hospitality! What can I say ..... only one piece of music will do; The Marine's Hymn!