Thursday, June 7, 2007 C

"First Day of Exploration - Jefferson Memorial"
8:45pm

After we finished looking at the Lincoln Memorial, we walked the l-o-n-g path to the Jefferson Memorial:


A l-o-n-g way around for two middle aged women not in the best physical shape...

Wikipedia says Jefferson's memorial is not visited nearly as often due to its distance from transportation systems. When we asked one tour bus operator how to get there, he marvelled that we were doing it on foot.

But we made it. It is a scenic walk, along side a lake:


I did not approach closely enough to learn the meaning behind this lovely statue...


That is the bridge seen in this photo


Approaching the Jefferson Memorial from the bridge leading to it...


Julia on this bridge


Bridge detail...


Julia approaching the memorial...


Walking around to the entrance...


Approaching the steps...


And there he proudly stands, swearing "eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man".

This memorial is an awesome sight and I've learned new respect for a man who valued and fought to preserve "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.". Jefferson also defended religious liberty, saying that it was according to "every man and his God" to determine. Just this phrasing shows he's honoring that we will each have individual interpretations of who that primordial God(s) is. He, from his day and age, gives honor to my choice as a Kemeticist. I was greatly moved by the movie shown in the lower level of the memorial.

I hope we shall soon have a president equal to his stature.


This is view of the memorial after we went on our way to the Washington Monument...

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