Although it wasn’t planned, today was very humbling. We should have known that would happen because we’ve been to Arlington Cemetery before. Our primary reason for going this time was to watch the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing it, you should make a point of doing it at least once in your life.

The best way to get there from the cemetery entrance is to get a ticket for the tram. That way you can tour the entire cemetery and an in-depth narrative about the cemetery history, and where lots of famous people are buried. It’s very interesting.

The tram also stops at The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. It’s on the back side of the amphitheater. There are signs pointing the way. You can’t miss it. Now, look at the below photo and the location I was at when I took it. direction to my left is the path used by the relieving guard and their superior who conducts the ceremony for changing the guard. It’s very precise and very interesting to watch. I took a movie from this location, but can’t make it work on this blog. Apparently I’m not allowed to do that so you’ll either have to go there or check it out on-line by watching it on-line. The link is attached above.

From Arlington Diane wanted to go visit the Washington National Cathedral. We arrived about 3:30 pm to a fairly empty cathedral and we could hear a choir singing. We went to the front so we could hear them better and sat to listen. The music was beautiful. Turns out they were practicing for the 4:00 pm Choral Evensong.

When they stopped practicing the entire choir departed to the back of the area behind the wooden barrier and folks in the audience began walking behind the barrier. Not know any better, we followed along, learning that everyone was welcome. We sat next to the choir seats and followed the program that was given to us upon entering. Soon, the choir processed back into the cathedral from the back and resumed their seats near us and other observers. We were almost part of the service as we had a front row seat.

Near the end of the program the Homily was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Rosemarie Logan Duncan. She delivered a very powerful message about faith. At the end, it was evident that we had been treated to a very special church service. It was unexpected and therefore more special.

The above photo of the stained glass windows are an example of the dozens of similar windows that adorn the cathedral. They are magnificent.

Our GPS system failed us on the return trip and we found ourselves on the way to Baltimore before getting back on track. Consequently, a trip that should have taken less that 20 minutes took more like an hour. What fun. Once back in our room, we ate the rest of the tuna salad I made yesterday and had a bowl of soup with it.

It was a good day. A very good day.