In the District

I'm on vacation with the family in sunny (and hot) Washington D.C. for Memorial Day weekend. Sounds fun, right? Well, not exactly. Even before we had left, my sister (let's call her Rachael) threw a huge hissy fit because she wanted the rear bench seat for her and her boyfriend. Now, usually when Rachael throws a hissy fit it entails her storming in and out of the house, destroying her room, threatening people and generally making everyone around her as miserable as she can. This time was no exception. So after an hour or so of this, we're off in the car on a two hour drive to the hotel, which thankfully was uneventful.

The following day we went to visit the Holocaust Museum. Getting through security was a pain because Rachael's boyfriend brought a 3" bladed knife with him. Museum rules apparently only allow blades of 2" or under, so they confiscated it. Why they allow knives at all and why he brought a knife to a museum is a complete mystery to me. Then Rachael decided that she didn't want to see anything and stomped her way ahead of us through the entire museum with her boyfriend in tow. Very disrespectful. However, my parents and I enjoyed the exhibits - to the extent that one can enjoy photos, objects and stories about the Holocaust. It was one of the most intense experiences I have ever had in my life. At the end of the tour there is a Hall of Remembrance, where I lit a candle and said a prayer.

It took 8 tries for my dad to get this photo!

On the third day of our trip we split up into two groups: my dad and myself, and my mum, sister and her boyfriend. They went to the Museum of the Native American and the CSI Museum (I did not know there was a CSI Museum, but there is) while my dad and I took a short self-guided walking tour of D.C. to see the Canadian Embassy and the National Air and Space Museum. I had a really good time with my dad, and got a lot of photos. By the time we were done I was very pooped.

We're on our way home tomorrow, bright and early. Hopefully there won't be too much drama, but I'm not holding my breath.