Whew! We have been traveling FAST! These past few weeks have been action, action, and more action! Now I'm going to give you guys a glimpse into what we've been up to! We've been soaking up the American history as we explored Yorktown, Washington D.C., Jamestown, and Boston! I left off on the last Travel Update as Easter came to a close; join me now as I take you through a rapid picture journey of where we've been since then!
Jamestown
The first English settlement in the USA was a really cool place to visit! It's remarkable to stand on the same ground that the first English settlers stood for the first time. After all, our world as we know it would not be the same if they hadn't succeeded!
Yorktown
"Battle of Yorktown. 1781." We didn't realize just how much we had learned from Hamilton until we got to Yorktown and all of us knew the exact date instantly by singing that line! It is awesome to get to see history come to life by visiting the places that these events took place at!
Williamsburg
We visited Williamsburg while we were staying with my mom's Uncle Bob and Aunt Cathy! They were such gracious hosts to us, and we had a lovely time exploring Williamsburg! The town reminded us very much of our own Greenfield Village back in Michigan! We also go to stop at my Uncle Bob's church to see the memorial bricks for my great-grandparents. We all miss them dearly so it was so sweet to see their stones!
Shenandoah National Park
"Blue Ridge Mounnnntains, Shenandoah rivvvver!" It was hard to get that song out of our heads while we explored this beautiful national park in West Virginia! We loved being in big cities, but we had very much missed hiking so Shenandoah was a blast!
Washington D.C.
D.C. was a blast! Neither Lucy nor I had gotten to go on our eighth grade trips to D.C. like planned because of COVID and homeschooling, so we absolutely loved getting to go! We traveled all around the city walking over 12 miles everyday we were there in order to sight-see as much as possible! We were there during the cherry festival, so we witnessed lots of beautiful blooms. We went to almost every memorial in D.C. it seems and so many of the museums too! Below are pictures of some of our adventures! Comment below: what was your favorite part of Washington D.C.? Or if you haven't been, the part you most would love to see?
We went to the Senate offices to the private office our Michigan Senator: Debbie Stabenow. This is how you obtain passes to watch a live senate voting session! Her secretaries gave us the passes, and then we got to see the live session! It was so cool to watch them come in and vote. We listened to a speech and watched all of the Senators come in and give either a thumbs up or thumbs down. It was an amazing homeschool lesson about the U.S. government! Unfortunately we were unable to take photos.
Mount Vernon
George Washington had excellent taste! His mansion was absolutely stunning as it overlooked the Potomac River. We had a wonderful day exploring the grounds and house (we even saw the graves of George and Martha!!)
Lucy's old eighth grade class coincidentally had their DC trip at the same time we were there, so we got to meet up with her friends at Mount Vernon!
New York City
"Welcome to New York, to New York. It's been waiting for you! Welcome to New York!"
I played Taylor's song on the loudest volume while we drove into this wildly iconic city! (In Europe, it's basically the only American city that everyone knows!) We went to Times Square, Trump Tower, the Plaza Hotel, the Museum of Natural History, and..... HAMILTON on Broadway!!!! Yay, we had such an incredible time at Hamilton especially!
Connecticut
This beautiful state was so refreshing and refueling! We spent a few days relaxing and celebrating my parents' birthdays!
Boston
Boston was such a blast! We went to Fenway Park and spilled some tea in the Boston Harbor! We also went to Copp's Hill Cemetery where my mom got to see the grave of our ancestors! (Her maiden name is Copp.) The two highlights though were definitely whale watching and Lucy's First Communion! The whales might have been the absolute coolest experience of my entire life!! They were so amazing to watch as they jumped and ate!!!!! Lucy had such a sweet an spiritual day; we are so proud of her! Boston was a very charming city that I loved and hope to return to!
Maine
We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb in Bar Harbor, Maine! (Or as the locals say it: Bah Hahbah!) Just outside of Acadia National Park, we absolutely LOVED hiking and sampling the fresh Maine lobster! I can't wait to go back!
As you can see, we've been traveling really fast the past few weeks! We've been having a blast though! In just a few weeks we'll get back to our more consistent faith and travel blog posts, but for now I'm living in the moment and documenting our adventures! Comment below which of these places YOU have been to!
We’ve been to DC twice, but still have not gotten into our White House, 3rd time could be the charm! We loved Arlington National Cemetery, so richly historic & patriotic, it gave me goosebumps.