Arlington

Well, today was a laid back day. Mahesh wanted to visit with a friend he has known for about ten years. We took the Metro to meet his friend in Virginia. The Metro is very simple and so convenient. We had been using cabs until now, we needed to have been using public transport. We will do that tomorrow when we visit the museum of Natural History. Mahesh enjoyed seeing his friend. We ate pizza for lunch. They both had a lot to catch up on and conversation over lunch just didn't seem to be long enough. I would have been fine taking a walk while they visited with each other, but my son felt like he would be abandoning his mother...I know how to amuse myself! It's difficult to be the third wheel when two people are friends. They said their goodbyes and we were off to see the Arlington Cemetery.

Today the weather was hot and muggy, I did get tired walking to the last resting place of President John . F. Kennedy. It's always somber to visit a grave site. As a Hindu, I have no point of reference for that, since we cremate. I think there are advantages and disadvantages for both practices. There is a sense of closure when a person can visit a grave site. At the same time there is this sense of loss, holding on to the person lost to us. With cremation there is this sense of moving on and also feeling a bit adrift. I think, I would still prefer cremation. Too much land being dedicated to people who are no longer here. 

After visiting the grave site of JFK, we went to see changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We got there just in time to watch the guards change places. It was an intriguing and a precise ceremony. Mahesh has always been fascinated by military personnel, I think in many other lifetimes he was a soldier. Gratefully, he decided not to be one in this lifetime! We sat for awhile watching, everyone around us was also watching in a somber manner.  As we walked away looking at all the grave markers, I thought of all the families who lost loved ones in wars, such senseless deaths usually at the prime of life. Many would argue that's the price of freedom. I would argue, why we can't have freedom without loss of life?

We got back to our hotel just in time for afternoon tea. We headed to the restaurant and had English breakfast tea along with apple caramel cake with ice cream. Totally the most wonderful way to spend late afternoon.

Later in the evening we went to a Greek/Lebanese restaurant called Zaytinya. The great advantage of a cosmopolitan city like DC is the choice of great restaurants and Zaytinya would have to be added to that list. Great food at reasonable prices. We took a cab back to the hotel and then headed to the White House for our evening conversation in the back yard. 

Tomorrow will be our last day in DC. I will miss the conversations I get to have with my son. It's just never the same over the phone.