While planning my trip, this was one of the sights I looked forward to the most, in large part because of my fascination with the Kennedy family and my desire to visit and pay respects to their final resting places.
It was my first time navigating the DC Metro system and I found it clean and pleasant. The weather was overcast, which I found fitting for the outing. I was struck by how desolate the place was. Not a lot of people visiting. The tour guide was pleased to see me and told me that I was their only customer for the day so far and that they were very grateful for my business.
As expected, I got very emotional at the Kennedys' site. RFK and Teddy's gravesites are very unremarkable. I touched Teddy's headstone and felt a strong emotional bonding. The eternal flame moved me deeply. In my mind's eye I could see Jackie looking upon the flame and mourning her husband, gone too soon.
Next stop was the Tomb of the Unknowns. Again, amazingly free of tourists. The solemnity was awe-inspiring. I stuck around to see the changing of the guards, which I vaguely remembered from my visit to DC as a teenager.
The tour guide, after leaving me at the Tomb of the Unknowns, told me that I was free to roam the grounds at will, and catch any bus I happened to come across. I took some time looking at random graves of people who had died for our country, but who were just... people. Took a few pictures of graves, which I want to research some day to see what I can find out about the individuals.
The vastness and solitude of the cemetery was beyond belief. By consulting the map, I found the Challenger and Discovery memorials. Felt a momentary panic when I realized was on my own -- really alone-- in this vast place with no one in sight and (most importantly) no clue how to get back to the visitor's center. Finally, I met up with my original tour bus-- they expressed equal concern for me and mentioned that they had actually radioed the other bus to see if they had seen me. I found their genuine concern touching. They made an unscheduled stop for me to see a memorial to terrorist victims-- flight over Lockerbie, etc.
I spent a lot of time there, gazing upon row after row of stark white tombstones against the dull gray winter landscape. I was glad there were no other people.
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