Leaving D.C. =(

Day five already!?! Today we had to wake up a little earlier than past days because we had to leave the hotel at 7:15. Once everyone was ready to go and the bus was packed with all of our luggage, we were on our way. Before leaving D.C. there was one more site we had to see. We stopped at Fort McHenry. This is where the "Star Spangle Banner" was written. The fort reminded me of two places. It reminded me of Fort Griswold in CT and of a much neater version of the bunkers on Fishers Island. After watching a fifteen minute introduction of the fort and exploring it, we said goodbye to our tour guide Dave, and took off for our six hour drive home.

On the way home we played Washington Trivia. All the teachers came up with trivia questions and if answered correctly you were eligible for a bag of chips. This made time go by fast until it was lunch time. After lunch there was no traffic. Before we knew it, we were back in New London. Home sweet home!

Night of Day Four

After lunch and going through all the exciting exhibits at the museums, it was time for dinner. We took a long bus ride to a castle. Yes, it was a castle. We ate as if we were kings and queens. We ate with our hands, of course, because it was the medieval times. While eating dinner we also got to watch a jousting show with knights. Our school was cheering for the yellow team. After the the show and dinner we hopped back on the bus to go to the hotel. We had been instructed to pack everything because we would be leaving the next day.

-Sydney

Day 4...The Morning

This morning was devoted to museums! We started the day off with a trip to the Newseum. The Newseum is a museum all about the media. It had all sorts of exhibits on different types of news. There were many displays about 9-11 and even an area where you could pretend to be a news reporter. They also had newspaper headlines from many different important world events. They were in all different kinds of languages too. Luckily we arrived right when the museum opened for the day because it got very crowded as the day went on. After the Newseum we headed off the Smithsonian. After eating lunch in the American History Museum everybody went their separate ways to visit the museums of their choice. My group and I visited the American History Museum to see the exhibit on Julia Childs. It had her kitchen set up and all of the appliances she used on the show.After we headed to the Natural History Museum. I was looking forward to this one because I wanted to see the Hope Diamond. It was not as blue as I expected but it was still really cool to see. We looked at all the other gems while we were there. It was really neat to see huge gem stones. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden was our next stop. There were many differnt pieces of art in this museum. We saw modern sculptures and drawings. The last museum we visited was the Nation Museum of the American Indians. Right when we walked in there was a table set up where people could taste seal, we passed on that. On the top floor of this museum there were art pieces that looked like contemporary art. There was a very big sheet made of differnt things that were red. For example, towels, shirts, and even a teddy bear. They also had a totem pole made of golf bags.

-Andrea

Afternoon of Day Three

After the very moving experience at the Holocaust Museum we headed off to the White House. When we arrived many of us were searching for the Secret Service but they were nowhere to be found. We took a great group picture in front of the fence, to see it, look on the Fishers Island School homepage. After the group picture we went back to the hotel to get ready for a dinner and dance on the Spirit of Mount Vernon. A few Fishers Island alumni joined us for the cruise, which was fun. The boat was much bigger than any of us expected. We got to enjoy a great dinner with another middle school from Clinton, Mass. There was tons of dancing and everybody had a great time. It was a late night but very fun. Most of us fell asleep on the bus ride home.

-Andrea

Morning of Day Three

Today we got to sleep in. We woke up and went downstairs for another amazing breakfast. Our morning started off at the National Archives. Here we were able to see the Bill of Rights, Constitution, and Declaration of Independence. Then we went to the Ronald Regan International Trade Center for lunch. After lunch we went to a very moving museum, The Holocaust Museum. Walking through this museum was very touching. When we arrived everyone was handed a passport. This passport was of someone who went through the Holocaust. We were told to not read the last page until the end of our experience at the museum. The last page told us if that person survived or not. This museum was full of memorabilia.


-Sydney

Second Day in D.C.

Today we started our day off with a lovely breakfast at the hotel. We then adventured out to Mount Vernon where we got to see George Washington's estate. Here we got to walk around where Washington used to live. When we arrived we watched a twenty minute movie on the history of George Washington's life. While walking the grounds of his estate we met a women, acting as if she lived back in the time when Washington lived there. She was making soup. We asked her if we could try some, She said she wasn't allowed to. It sure did smell good.



After walking around Washington's estate, we headed off to the Pentagon Mall for lunch. This was a huge mall, and there were a lot of food venues to choose from. We deiced to have pizza and a salad. After everyone had lunch, we headed off to Arlington Cemetery where Andrea, Sydney, Lily and Shelby got to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. This was an experience for us that we will never forget.

After walking throughout Arlington Cemetery and then the laying of the wreath ceremony, we went to dinner. Dinner was at an Italian restaurant called "Buca di Beppo". This restaurant had so many rooms for big groups. Even though we are a small school, we were a big group. We started off with a salad and garlic bread. Then we had pasta with red sauce, followed by chicken. For dessert we had cheesecake with raspberry sauce.




After the dinner we made our way up the block to The Kennedy Center, where we got our tickets to see Shear Madness. We weren't allowed to take pictures in the theater. The theater was small. Another school was watching the show with us. Sheer Madness takes place in a salon. The plot of the show is solving as mystery of who murdered the woman in the apartment above the salon. The second part of the production becomes interactive with the crowd trying to figure out who is the murderer. This was exciting for our school. The play was outstanding and hilarious.

Arriving in Washington

We just arrived in Washington D.C.. After taking the group picture in front of the Capitol we ate dinner at Union Station. There were many food venues to choose from. We each got a food voucher and on the back it listed what venues the voucher was good for, and what meal at that venue. Then headed off to see some memorials. We saw the Korean Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, World War II Memorial, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial. These memorials were all seen at night, this made them have a greater impression on us. Our personal favorite memorial was The World II Memorial.

Bus Ride Down

We are in the middle of New Jersey. We just had lunch and are now watching our third movie "Pirates of the Caribbean". Three hours to go! Upon our arrival we are going to stop in front of the capital to take a group picture.