Chasing the Rally

We were a bit confused about the STAND rally - thinking it was on the Capitol and we were early - it turned out to be down by the White House, and we were late. After realizing that they had already started marching up toward the Sudan Embassy, some of us headed back to the hotel, and some of us tried to catch up with the rally. We all met up back in our rooms on the sixth floor of the Holiday Inn Capitol. Next, dinner and the Monuments at night!

The Capitol

After our meeting we got a tour of the Capitol arranged by Sen. Kennedy's office. The architecture, art and statues are breathtaking. Some seniors needed a photo with Sam Houston to send to his cousin Rich. We also took a picture on the steps outside after we finally got a bite to eat in the Russell building.

Sen. Kennedy's Office

After a long and purposeful walk, we got to the Russell Senate Office Building just in time for our noon appointment. Henry Sanford discussed Darfur policy with us for 40 minutes. This was very informative for us. Thanks Henry!

The Holocaust Museum

Next we visited the National Holocaust Museum. This was an extremely emotional, disturbing and important exercise for us - particularly given our purpose of raising awareness of the Darfur genocide. This took a long time, and we could have stayed hours longer. We left shaken, but with our eyes more open to the reality we are trying to confront.

Washington Monument

We walked form the Castle down to the Washington Monument, enjoying the views of the city on this beautiful and unseasonable warm day.

The Castle

We started our marathon this morning with a quick visit to the Smithsonian Castle. This gave us a good overview of the institution, and it has beautiful gardens.

We're Here!

Yes Brenna, we're finally here. After a 9 hour drive orchestrated by our drivers Al and Kurt (and watching Darfur Now and the Goofy Movie), we are here at the Holiday Inn Capitol. After some freshening up we will be heading to breakfast and then to the Holocaust Museum and possibly the Smithsonian Castle. Then we have a 12:00 appointment at Sen Kennedy's office, a Capitol tour, then a STAND rally on the Capitol steps before getting back to the hotel. I'll post more then.