There’s a nice sense of serenity
about this place but there’s also a sense of eeriness. After being searched and
screened, you enter a large marble lobby and are quickly handed a map. Then you
can either join the queues to ride the train, or make your own way around on
foot. We chose the latter, though we did go around circles a bit in an effort to
re-join the main path. What’s most outstanding is the views of rows and rows of
tombstones. It was if someone had decided to set up a giant domino track on top
of the hill, and the trees had been trimmed just right so true patriots can get
a glimpse of national monuments in the distance to remind people what these
brave folk were fighting for. There were some amazing pieces of architecture such
as the old mausoleum (which was sadly shut as it was preparing for an art exhibition),
the memorial amphitheatre, and the Women’s Monument. It was quite a ceremony to
witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also
saw some notable graves such as JFK’s eternal flame and a monument to the Space
Shuttle Disaster. There’s also some very nice gardens which are home to a lot
of squirrels. On the way out we saw some chairs being set up for a new burial,
but unfortunately we ran out of time. I would have like to have witnessed the
guns being fired.
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