Trip Report 2, Washington DC, April 15, 2022 We are touring with a group of 34 people who are elderly like Linda and I and from many parts of the U.S.A.  All seem to be nice.  The Tour Director is named Chad and seems well qualified for the trip.  He studied horticulture and Architecture in college and was able to identify vegetation and building styles.  He also has a pleasant personality which is beneficial with the many personalities that end up in a group such as this.  Getting on the bus, getting off the bus, and understanding the schedule is challenging.   We drove into the Capital area and parked near the Supreme Court Building.  We walked around  Capitol Hill.  We were very close to where the June 6th rioters demonstrated, invaded the legislature buildings.  I walked over 11,000 steps yesterday.  Too much for an elderly person.  We ended up in our walk going into the Library of Congress.  My suspenders ended up being a security issue because of the metal clips and resulted in close contact with the Capital Police with an. Electronic hand held device.  The Library is very impressive and I took some pictures.  The displays are nice and I would recommend going to the internet and checking it out. Lunch was a brawl where I ended up eating from a van.  Those that stood in line in the local restaurant ended up taking it back to the bus.  We are seeing massive crowds and the local tour guide indicated that this shows easing COVID restrictions, etc.  We had a local guide then Lynette and visited the WWII memorial, Korean War memorial, and the Vietnam memorial. This was the second time for me visiting these memorials.  The. Third time going to the Vietnam memorial.  The first time I went to the Vietnam memorial I cried.  I was surprised when I did shed one tear from one eye on this trip.  We walked past the Lincoln memorial and the masses of people there made going there unreasonable.  Linda and I had been there previously when I went to a Department of Justice sponsored training to enhance my Criminal Justice teaching skills years ago.  I also was assigned to the Pentagon for two years over 26 years ago and visited these areas (I retired from the Army in 1994 after 31 years of service).  We then received a bus tour of old George Town with our guide talking about it and ended up at a place called Dog tag bakery where over 3,000 dog tags were hung up from the ceiling and veterans were employed to bake. In the evening we went to a German restaurant where we were served German food (I am not a fan) which was fine for me as they served me vegetarian dishes.  The group dinners on tours are a real test.   I wear hearing aids and generally do not hear well and we end up yelling at each other to pass the time while being served the food.  I only hear a third of what is spoken at most.  We sat across from an Insurance sales manager and his wife from Idaho and talked to them.  Tomorrow  Ford’s theatre where President Lincoln was assassinated.   April 16, 2022 , Washington DC; Continuation of Trip Report 2 Today we started going to the White House Visitors Center.  Security is tight and I had to be wanded by the Capitol Police person because of my suspender metal latches.  I was not expecting much from this center and was pleasantly surprised regarding how nice it is.  There is a presentation video by past occupants of the white house which is very nice.  There are still burn marks preserved at the White House where British soldiers had burnt it down in the War of 1812.  We then as a. Group walked around the perimeter of the White House. There are many barriers up and police are highly visible.  I was rushing and fell down in a small tree pit.  Luckily no scratches.  I am in trouble when I rush at age 78.  I then walked in the new WWI memorial park which is very nice.  We then went to Ford Theatre and sat in the audience section while a park Ranger gave a very detailed description of the assassination of Lincoln and the results.  The reaction from the audience in the theatre at the time he was killed was to kill the assassin and there was much unrest. We did not go to the building across the street from the Ford Theatre where Lincoln was laid to rest after being shot in the head.  Linda and I then went off on our own.  Our terrific group director, Chad, took time and walked us personally to the entrance to the National Portrait Gallery and National Art Museum.  We had a nice lunch there and walked among the many exhibits, paintings, statues.  Linda decided to go back to the room early and I wandered the streets, looking at the FBI, Department of Justice buildings and a parade forming to celebrate Easter.  It was a pleasant day of touring.