Arriving in Washington D.C.

On May 24th, our adventure began.  Friends from Boquete dropped us off at the bus station in David (thanks for doing that, we appreciated it a lot!).  We were all ready to get on the next bus leaving at 9:30pm when we realized that all the tickets were booked for both the 9:30 and 10:30 bus; the next available departure was at 11:30pm.  We knew that if we caught the 11:30 bus, we would miss our connecting flight in Panama City, both because of the 6 plus hour bus ride through the night, but also the morning traffic in the city.  So, Casey ran down the road a few blocks through the rain and found another bus company which was leaving at 10pm. 

 I had ten minutes to find a taxi with space for our 12 bags of luggage and race down to the other bus.  Fortunately we made the bus in the nick of time and settled down for our long, COLD ride.  Just a mental note, if you take that bus ride...bring a blanket!

We made it to the airport in time and enjoyed a long nap on the floor before heading onto the plane.  Our flight went smoothly and it was so fun to see the children's smiles of excitement as we took off.

We arrived in Washington, DC and were excited to explore. We enjoyed figuring out the metro system and exploring the many attractions DC has to offer.  The highlight for the children was the mineral exhibit in the Museum of Natural History.  They loved all the gems, colors and shapes.  Their favorite were the glow-in-the-dark stones!  In the animal exhibit all the animals were amazing, but my favorite was the one of the cheetah who had taken his prey (antelope) into a tree and was sitting there with it while a hyena lurked beneath the tree.  

We also experienced the Museum of American History, with interesting exhibits showcasing food, transportation, currency and homesteading. 

The Space and Air Museum was full of interesting facts and amazing sights.  We enjoyed seeing the missiles that were as high as the building, walking through a section of a spacecraft, seeing the first planes built and learning about navigation.  

Judah really enjoyed the hands on learning section.  Caleb and Malaya took part in a paper airplane contest which Malaya won.  She was even awarded a medal!
  

Next was the National Art Museum.  The highlight there for me was seeing Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, and Rembrant.  What a privilege!  Casey and Hannah toured this one more in depth than the children and I, but we were all awed by the art.

The Native American Museum was great as well.  They had a fun learning center there for the kids and they all enjoyed trying to sit in a kayak while it wiggled, crawling in a tepee, and doing a skateboard game.  They received a passport there and stamped it after each activity. 

The Botanical Gardens had a stunning display of orchids and was definitely my favorite.  It reminded me of a place that we would take visitors to see when I was a child in Fiji. 

We toured many of the different memorials which was incredible to see in person due to the   their size and architecture. We went to the Jefferson, Martin Luther King and Lincoln memorials. Also the beauty of all the parks and the lakes were refreshing.  We really appreciated seeing the manicured parks and green spaces that are somewhat lacking where we are from in Panama.   

Caleb turned 10 on the 28th and we celebrated with sushi and ice cream.  He enjoyed the adventures of the day as well.  Washington was really busy, lots of walking and lots of fun and we are thankful that we were able to see the many exhibits showcased in the nations capital.