Peace, history, war, power

 
We left Cape Cod and drove across Massachusetts to visit the Hancock Shaker Village, a beautiful, peaceful place which is just a museum now as there are just a few Shakers left in Maine.  Their way of life meant that they would inevitably die out as they remained celibate and the only children were orphans from the nearby towns.  They were technologically very advanced, planning their buildings so that full advantage of the sun was taken for instance.








Rhode Island was next with (another) computer museum, slightly odd set-up as they have some offices and a warehouse where there is computer equipment stacked almost to the ceiling but they don't currently have the money to develop any further.  They have an educational thread, taking classes in libraries and such like and they rent equipment to film and television producers (Mad Men etc.)




Gettysburg was amazing, the tour guide for the battleground was, as always, very knowledgeable and was so enthusiastic, a quaint town, obviously very proud of its place in American history.  Gettysburg is home to the first US National Cemetery.
Driving from Gettysburg to Washington DC today we crossed the Mason/Dixon line - this is an historical line which separates the North from the South. Around Pennsylvania and Maryland at least.










Took the Metro into (Washington) DC and visited the Washington Memorial, the Reflecting Pool, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the White House and then across to Arlington National Cemetery.  We were both moved by the Lincoln Memorial and the Gettysburg Address carved into the wall.  Joe Louis and Lee Marvin are both buried at Arlington.  We also watched the Changing of the Guard there - different from Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle but impressive in its simplicity. 











Our second day in Washington we took in some of the Smithsonian museums with Peter visiting the Air & Space Museum and Kath taking in the National Art Gallery and then in the afternoon both visiting the American Indian Museum and viewed Capitol Hill on the way back to the Metro.