Day three and I'm starting to feel my age. Goodness, but it didn't seem quite this exhausting five years ago. Silly me. Someday, I'll realize that I'm getting older, but not just yet please. At any rate, by 9 a.m., we are already arriving at our destination. First thing this morning it is the Spy Museum and although I've been twice before, this time it is in an all new building and way bigger. I'm kind of excited. Upon entering, I'm given a new identity -- I am Harlow Santos from Puebla City, Mexico and am a photographer. My mission takes place in Jakarta, Indonesia so I'm to head there for further instructions by using the secret codeword SOUTHPAW.
If that sounds confusing, it is a bit. This place is two journeys in one. It is a museum filled with lots of fun and informative items AND a spy mission that I've been assigned to. Checking out the museum part along the way is fun, BUT we have a limited amount of time here and I'm not sure I can do justice to both.
Once I've arrived in Indonesia, I get further instructions.
Tracking a rebel group member could be key to finding the safe house. She's leaving the apartment now. My assignment is to build a gadget to secretly track her movements. I decide on a transmitting bug in her smartphone. At this point I find out my mission: A rebel group in Jakarta is hiding a known terrorist in their safe house. I need to collect intel to find the location of the safe house. U.S. intelligence is watching an American, known online as Envy755, who may be aligned with a terrorist group planning an attack. I've been assigned to examine Envy755's online threat to determine if it's credible and if so, to discover where is s/he located. I find this post:
Now I have to determine if it is a code or a cipher. Do you know the difference?
My contact left me a photo of a house in Jakarta. Is it the safe house for the terrorist? I've also learned that the house might be in NE district of Kemang neighborhood. At this point, I figure it all out and it's time to leave. I didn't really get to see much of the museum so you really need to choose one thing or the other. It was fun to play the game, but . . .
Next stop is Ford's Theater and Museum.
There are just so many interesting things here and it's my third trip. I think I learn new things each and every visit.
Period clothing -
A wax replica of the weapon that killed President Lincoln.
As I said above, I've been here before but this time I read this story and it was shocking to me. "On April 11 (3 days prior) Lincoln revealed an eerie dream, much to Mary's horror. Hearing the sounds of weeping coming from somewhere in the White House, he had left his bed and made his way to the East Room. There he met with a sickening surprise. 'Before me was a catafalque,' said Lincoln, 'on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. Around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards; and there was a throng of people, some gazing mournfully upon the corpse, whose face was covered, others weeping pitifully. 'Who is dead in the White House?' I demanded of one of the soldiers. 'The President was his answer. 'He was killed by an assassin!'"
How crazy eerie is that? This is the inner door to the box President Lincoln was in. For many years, the story persisted that Booth drilled a hole in the door. However, in 1962 theatre manager John Ford's nephew, reiterating what his uncle had written after the assassination, came forward: "John Wilkes Booth did not bore the hole in the door leading to the box Abraham Lincoln occupied the night of his assassination . . . The hole was bored by my father, Henry Clay ford, or rather on his orders, and was bored for the simple reason that it would allow the guard . . . easy opportunity whenever he so desired to look into the box rather than open the inner door to check on the Presidential party . . ." Written by Frank Ford.
From the museum, we are able to go up into Ford's Theatre, where a new play is being set up.
Scenes from the theater -
Believe it or not, it's only lunch time. Whew. We are off to Pentagon City Shopping Mall and the food court. I'm pretty happy as I find some dumplings to fill the empty belly.
It's a brief stop and then we are on the busses once again and on our way to Arlington National Cemetery. I do love the entire calm of the place and the reverence that just seems to come naturally, even to 8th graders (at least for the most part).
We are able to watch the changing of the guards and participate in a wreath laying ceremony.
After these amazing ceremonies, a stop at the Kennedy site and some historical stones fills out the day.
As we are leaving we pass the entrance to the Women in Military Service Memorial. I'd love to be able to visit it sometime --- maybe another trip needs to happen with my sweetheart.
From Arlington Cemetery, we make a stop at the Iwo Jima Memorial.
Nearby is the Netherlands Carillon and I make a quick solo jaunt over to it while others are taking photographs of the Iwo Jima Memorial.
Next up is a totally new-to-me stop - The Pentagon Memorial. "We claim this ground in remembrance of the events of September 11, 2001. To honor the 184 people whose lives were lost, their families, and all who sacrifice that we may live in freedom."
This memorial is astounding to me and so very impactful. Each one of the benches represent a person who perished at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The direction of the bench tells whether they were in the building or in the airplane and the name of each in inscribed on the end of the bench. There is water under each bench and lights that come on at dark.
Next up for us is dinner at Gadsby's but we have a wee bit of time to kill so drive by the Spite House in Alexandria, Virginia. Love these fun moments.
It's time for a beer. Ahhhh -
Dinner is wonderful --- dessert, even better.
So ---- to work off our meal and totally wear us all out, a walking tour of Alexandria, complete with ghost stories begins. At this point, I've somehow gotten a blister on my foot and am lagging a bit behind, but still enjoy the whole event and make it all the way through.
I wish I could remember all of the stories, but I can't and just have these pictures as memories.
THIS one I DO remember --- these were placed along the road many, many years ago in order to mount a horse easier.
This lower patio caught my eye --
The Old Presbyterian Meeting House Burial Ground - Sacred to the memory of those for whom these grounds serve as their final resting place. These church grounds contain the mortal remains of some 300 persons. Members of the congregation were interred in the Meeting House Graveyard from the early 1770's until 1809, when the Presbyterian Cemetery was established on Hamilton Lane, about a mile west of here.
There are graves everywhere one looks. Large and small, simple and elaborate.
It's time to start back and we are met in fine fashion, to once again board our busses back to the hotel. Day 3 is in the books and we have one more very long day ahead. Bring it on.
Day three and I'm starting to feel my age. Goodness, but it didn't seem quite this exhausting five years ago. Silly me. Someday, I'll realize that I'm getting older, but not just yet please. At any rate, by 9 a.m., we are already arriving at our destination. First thing this morning it is the Spy Museum and although I've been twice before, this time it is in an all new building and way bigger. I'm kind of excited. Upon entering, I'm given a new identity -- I am Harlow Santos from Puebla City, Mexico and am a photographer. My mission takes place in Jakarta, Indonesia so I'm to head there for further instructions by using the secret codeword SOUTHPAW. 
How crazy eerie is that? This is the inner door to the box President Lincoln was in. For many years, the story persisted that Booth drilled a hole in the door. However, in 1962 theatre manager John Ford's nephew, reiterating what his uncle had written after the assassination, came forward: "John Wilkes Booth did not bore the hole in the door leading to the box Abraham Lincoln occupied the night of his assassination . . . The hole was bored by my father, Henry Clay ford, or rather on his orders, and was bored for the simple reason that it would allow the guard . . . easy opportunity whenever he so desired to look into the box rather than open the inner door to check on the Presidential party . . ." Written by Frank Ford.
Believe it or not, it's only lunch time. Whew. We are off to Pentagon City Shopping Mall and the food court. I'm pretty happy as I find some dumplings to fill the empty belly.
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