A day we shall not forget

We strive to appreciate as much of the city as possible when we are both home, so visiting the U.S. Holocaust Museum, albeit not the lightest activity to do on a sunny Sunday, was something we felt we needed to do. There are so many damn museums and galleries in DC, it's hard to work your way through them all, even after being here for 10 months!!

So, off we went, all bundled up and looking like the Michelin man (it was very cold yesterday - the wind chill made it feel about 15 degrees Farenheit!). The sun was shining though, which helped a little as we briskly walked to the Metro station.

We got out at L'Enfant Plaza and again, briskly walked (no strolling for us!) down the National Mall to the museum, which is right across the street from the Washington Monument. The museum entrance itself is impressive, really lovely architecture:

Once inside, you have to go through a strict security search (like pretty much everywhere now), but it gives you time to look around and appreciate the building. I felt it was built to reflect one's mood once you step inside - instantly somber. You know this is not going to be a place to appreciate fine art like other museums or galleries. This is a place of grief and death, but also a place which reflects remembrance and hope.

The exhibits were harrowing, to say the least - everyone knows millions were killed in the Holocaust, but this place puts faces and names against those numbers, and makes it hauntingly real. It takes it from being a statistic (an unfathomable one at that), and shows photos of children, elderly, families, and whole communities, wiped out - while the rest of the world struggled to comprehend what was even happening and who were ultimately impotent when it came to taking any action.

For all of the horror we witnessed yesterday afternoon (we were there for 6 hours), we left not only with a sense of utter exhaustion, but also anger at the sheer apathy the rest of the world had during this period. We left thinking, 'shame on us'.

The visit to the museum also reminded us of the things happening in our lifetime that, although are not on the scale of the Holocaust at the time, should not be ignored: Darfur, Sudan, Rwanda, Chechnya, the Balkans.

Needless to say we had a very reflective trip home.

President's Day in the U.S.

Yesterday (Monday), most of the U.S. shut down (kind of like a Bank Holiday) for President's Day -- because George Washington actually lived in Alexandria, the town went all out to celebrate it. There was a parade and celebrations throughout the day. Families plunked themselves down on the pavement, waved flags, and watched the marching bands and displays go by.


I think people like to celebrate things like this, not for the patriotism, but for the feeling of community. It was a gorgeous day, with the sun shining and crisp winter breeze, a perfect day to be out and enjoying the holiday.

The Legacy That Is....Curious George

Whoever would have thought that a stuffed animal given to me by my folks when I was born would stand the test of time and re-surface years later, popularized the world over by books, toys, and now a major movie? Yes, I'm talking about Curious George. My Curious George, who is rather getting on in years, has been stuffed, re-stuffed, and has had to undergo various other cosmetic surgeries. Through all of life's ups and downs, he has been a constant companion throughout the years. When I was a child, my dad would go through mock fire drills, to ensure we knew what to do in case of a fire. He would say, "Ok now, if there's a fire, what's the first thing you should do?" Of course, the answer he was looking for was grab my sister and climb out the window, but I would always answer without fail: "Save Curious George". To this day, George is still top on my list in an emergency!

So, when I heard that they had released a major motion picture here in the U.S., I had mixed feelings -- I'm glad that the legacy of Curious George lives on and that children can still find joy and pleasure in reading about that curious little monkey and his adventures with The Man in the Yellow Hat, but I'm also sad that he's become rather 'mainstream'. Hopefully the movie will live up to the book, which in my opinion, cannot be beat.

On a different note, the soundtrack to the movie actually is pretty good: Jack Johnson did all of the songs/lyrics and it has a cool and hip sound, which is quite rare for a movie soundtrack!

TOO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As some of you may know, around the same time that John and I moved to the U.S., there was a very exciting thing happening over at the National Zoo in Washington DC -- the giant pandas were expecting a baby! A baby male panda, Tai Shan, was born 7 months ago today and has totally captivated not only Washington but the rest of the world....he has to be the cutest thing we have ever seen. You just can't help but tune into the webcam that is set up at the zoo http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm?cam=LP2 , just to see him frolick around the enclosure and play with his mum. John and I, like the rest of the city, have booked tickets to go and see him (they have started to allow visitors for 10 minute intervals). Even at 7 months old, he's still just a gorgeous little ball of fur! Here's a photo taken last Sunday after the snow storm -- they obviously were having a fab time....

snow!

Wow, it has been a LONG time since we have seen a storm like this...living in London, we never got more than a few inches -- it felt more like Maine! Last night, we had an impressive 8 inches of snowfall in Washington DC - when we woke up this morning, it was like something out of the Chronicles of Narnia! A true winter wonderland - not a car or person to be seen, you could hear a pin drop, it was so quiet. John and I walked around and enjoyed the peace and solitude of a pristine and ever so white Sunday morning.

I think I'm getting the hang of this.....

Ok, I've figured out how to add photos -- I'll be sure to start adding words and not just images! But this is just too neat...by the way, this is of a cactus in Los Cabos, Mexico. John is a whiz with the camera!

Krispy's Blog - entry #1

well, I decided to do this after seeing Chris Neal's blog http://nealofarabia.blogspot.com/ . Of course, he has a lot to write about with his recent move to Saudi, but this blog thing is right up there with wikis and podcasts....once I get my head around how the hell to post things, I'll be back in touch! What this space.......