Where in the World?

I'm currently in my second favourite city on Earth. It used to be my favourite city but then I went to New York and this city was relegated to second place.  Considering how very much I loved New York, I'd say that being second place still means that I love this city very, very, very much.

A couple of clues:

• It had been my favourite city for most of my life.
• It took me two hours and eight minutes to arrive here by train.
• My brother worked here before he moved down to London. 

And less personal clues:

• There is a bombed out shell of a church still standing here from the Blitz.  The outside walls are still standing and there are trees growing in the middle.
• Arguably the most famous band on Earth emerged from this city.
  
• The Dubliners sang at least two songs about this city, one of which I quoted when I last visited here.

Righty-ho! I've put moderated comments on and I'll send postcards to the first five people who can correctly guess where I am.  

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DC: Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials

The Lincoln Memorial

I finally managed to tear myself away from the cool fountains of the National World War II Memorial and I walked towards the Lincoln Memorial.  It is quite an impressive old structure and was built to honour Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.

Like everyone else, I had seen the memorial and the sculpture of Abe Lincoln several times on television but nothing can quite prepare you for seeing it in person.  It is really quite impressive! [You can click on the photos for enlargements].

There is a museum underneath the memorial and it is so interesting!  I had not realised that Abraham Lincoln was such an amazing individual!  I found the exhibits to be really inspiring and I’d love to read more about this man and his ideas.

In fact, I’d like to learn more about Abraham Lincoln and visit the memorial again one day.  Sometimes, you see an exhibit and can learn a lot from it, without having previous knowledge.  But sometimes, you just know that there is so much to take in and so much that you should already know and a lot of the information is lost on you.  I felt a bit like that on that day. 

A fascinating aspect of the exhibit underneath is the story behind the monument itself and how it is a work of art in itself.  It is a lovely memorial and it is obvious that a lot of thought went into it.

After the cool and air-conditioning basement, the sweltering outside heat was almost too much for me to bear!! From my notebook:

“I’ve just made two failed attempts to go outside.  I cannot begin to tell you how hot it is and for a South African to say that, you must know how hot it is.  I’ve been really inspired by Lincoln.  What an amazing man and a superb orator.  I think Ill research him”.

Eventually, I did make it out and I took this lovely shot of the Washington Monument with the Capitol in the background.

I then made my way to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  This was the reason why I had to come to Washington, DC; why I pushed myself to do so much in New York so that I could spare one day there.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Again, from my notebook:

"Long before my obsession with Rwanda and genocide, there was my obsession with the Vietnam War. Starting at age 11 when I saw the The Deer Hunter, I read everything I could about the war and saw all the films I could lay my hands on.  I’m left with the same question today as I was 25 years ago.  Why? 

These days I have a new question.  When are they going to start acknowledging and memorialising those who have died in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan”.

It is possible that I was delirious from the extreme heat by then!  And no, I would never recommend that you let your 11-year-old child watch The Deer Hunter but I was a devious little child and watched it while my parents were out.

Interestingly enough, the Memorial was inspired by Jan Scruggs after seeing The Deer Hunter as it reminded him of those who had died and suffered in Vietnam. 

The Three Soldiers

 

 

What an absolute waste of lives.

Time seemed to have slowed down to an almost standstill by now.  It was only 2pm and yet I seemed to have done so much in two hours!  I walked back past the Washington Monument and took numerous photos again…

…and I saw the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in the distance.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

I would have loved to have explored the Jefferson Memorial but I decided to keep going and seek the cool interior of the Holocaust Museum instead.

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Halloween Haircut Horror!

I know Halloween is already a distant memory for some but I just had to tell the world of the horrifying experience I had on Saturday!  We got up bright and early and went to our usual restaurant in Dartford for a full English breakfast.  May I take this opportunity to present exhibit A, evidence of my very long hair that morning.

 
Emm with hair // Yummy breakfast // Mister Emm looking gorgeous

We go to the Wetherspoons in Spital Street, Dartford and I usually get a traditional breakfast for £2.69 and Stephen gets a large breakfast for £3.89.  It is so good that we go every single Saturday morning!  Anyway, back to Halloween… after breakfast, we went to the salon next door, Raw.

 

In retrospect, I should have realised something was up the minute I walked into the salon. 

I wasn't even perturbed when a witch came to pick Stephen up for his haircut!

It was around the time that I realised that The Devil was going to be doing my hair that  realised something was seriously not right.

I took one last look at Stephen stuck away in the corner with Liewe Heksie and I sat in the chair and resigned myself to my fate.

 

First, Her Devilness measured my hair to maximise the devastating effects of her actions, then she heartlessly chopped off my ponytail and held up her prize for all to see.

With an evil muah-ha-ha-ha, she put the final touches on her evil plan.

As you can see, I was devastated by the results.

With one last look at the hellish Alice in Wonderland, I finally made my escape!

The haunted Raw Salon looked so normal from the outside!

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I hope you liked my little Halloween story!  The real tale is that I went to cut off my pony tail so that I could donate it to Banbury Postiche who make natural hair wigs for chemotherapy patients (amongst other uses).  I knew that Raw were also dressing up and raising money for charity that day and thought it would be a fantastic photo opportunity.  As first time clients, Stephen and I were each given a 30% discount which certainly helped towards the cost.  We needed a minimum of six inches of hair and we managed just over ten inches.  It was an absolutely amazing experience to finally cut it off as I have been trying for so long to grow it long enough.  Just in case my post was confusing, let me just say I was really happy with the haircut and this was the best salon I have ever been to!  They were so friendly and accommodating and I loved the massaging chairs in the hair washing room.

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I’ve decided to also raise money for the NACCPO* and am asking people to sponsor me per inch of hair donated.

"The National Alliance of Childhood Cancer Parent Organisations (NACCPO) is made up of parent run organisations that have common aims of working together to support children and young adults with cancer" - NACCPO

There is no minimum donation and every little bit helps.  Remember to include your blog address in your message so that I can thank you and show your blog some link love!  The money donated doesn’t come anywhere near me and goes straight to the charity via JustGiving.  JustGiving give the full donation amount to the charity and make their money from Gift Aid which is the money made on tax breaks on donations from British residents.

Donating money is not the only way to help me.  You can also Stumble or Digg this article using the “share” button below or you can link to the post on Twitter or Facebook.  I don’t usually ask for so much attention but this is for a good cause!!!

I'd just like to express my thanks that my Dad has been clear of cancer for two years and that my Auntie Barbara has a good prognosis. We lost my step-Auntie Lorraine to this year after a long battle against lung cancer.

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