Washing D.C via Virginia Railway Express

A long day = A long post:
Thursday morning, we all got up early and headed to the train station and waited for our very first train ride:

 

Here it comes!

 

The train was fun, the kids had a great time watching the world go past them and making other stops along the way as we rode 80 minutes up to D.C.  From there, we all experienced the metro for a quick ride closer to the Mall and Smithsonian Institute.  Angie and I, with the strollers, learned that when you have to take the elevator DOWN to the subway, DO NOT TOUCH anything in the elevator, PLUG YOUR NOSE and HOLD YOUR BREATH! Yuck Yuck Yuck!

We arrived about 10 minutes before the museums opened, so we took our time walking across the mall and hung out in front.

 

 

 Once inside, we spent a couple hours wondering around and looking at all the fabulous things to see and learn about.

 

 

Then we ate a very overpriced lunch at the cafe, and walked across to the Air and Space Museum.

The kids (and adults) were exhausted, but we still had to walk back to the metro...ride it to the train station:

 

And then wait for the next train back home.  A squirrel came right up to the kids while they were snacking on their leftover overpriced cheetos. One of the boys shared one, and after that one little cheeto dropped, the birds began to drop out of the sky by the tens waiting for their share of cheetos.  So, Nick, whom I will refer to as the BIRD LADY for the rest of this post, pulled out a cracker pack and began to feed the birds.  They caught the cracker crumbs in mid air.  This skill thrilled the kids to peices and turned into a train station show for all the other passengers waiting. I am glad we are able to entertain others while feeding the poor hungry wild animals in D.C.

We boarded the train, and enjoyed the ride home.  Exhausted. Worn out. Tired.