Local Tourist: Arlington National Cemetery

Have you ever noticed that you never really explore your city until you have family or friends come to visit?

That used to happen to me all the time, but no longer! One of my resolutions for the New Year is to do more tourist adventures in and around DC, but I decided to start early with a spontaneous trip to the Arlington National Cemetery!

While it was a chilly day and the trees were bare, I still found the cemetery absolutely beautiful. It is a gorgeous, meticulously cared for and peaceful shrine to those buried there and I was really touched by my visit.

These pictures won’t do it justice, so if you ever find yourself in DC please take the time to go and visit in person!

Sign or no sign, you definitely feel that you are on hallowed grounds when you enter the cemetery

90,000 holiday wreaths had been spread throughout the cemetery by volunteers only two days prior to our visit…it was absolutely gorgeous!

I was surprised by how grand and beautiful some of the monuments were!

JFK’s famous quote overlooks the cemetery next to his gravesite

President J.F. Kennedy’s gravesite

JFK’s grave and eternal flame

The Memorial Amphitheater

The interior actually made me feel as if I was in Rome

Miguel with his trusty camera!

The famous Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded 24/7 each and every day

The changing of the guards is an honor to witness

Don’t Over Think Lunch

After sleeping in late this morning, an idea popped in my head to go into the city for lunch.

I quickly discarded the spontaneous thought though since I already had plans in my head of things I needed to do around the house. But then I started to hedge over the idea because it sounded like fun and something we don’t usually do.

So, I embraced the spontaneity with my boyfriend and we headed downtown to the Lincoln Waffle Shop – a place I found a few months back when my dear friends came to visit from Chicago and a place I’ve wanted to return to ever since…and now I have!

I’m so glad I acted on what I wanted to do – the food was delicious and the walk around town afterwards was just what I needed!