Day 3 - A day of honor

On my walk yesterday, I passed some roaring names, including the iconic presidents Washington, Jefferson and Franklin D. Roosevelt, but there is one more president who might be even more famous than this fine collection : John Fitzgerald Kennedy. A descendant from the Kennedy political family from Boston. In 1960 he became the youngest elected American president (the 35th), after a narrow victory against Richard Nixon. The opinion on his political career will be divided as always, but no one can ignore his charismatic, gifted and eloquent speeches that have produced a few gems over the years. A  few examples : 'Ich bin ein Berliner', 'ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country' and 'humanity has to put an end to  war, because otherwise the war will end mankind’. He would become the fourth US president to be killed during his term. That happened in the Texan city of Dallas on November 22, 1963. He was fatally wounded by two rifle bullets while he was riding in an open car with his wife Jackie next to him. Lee Harvey Oswald was officially named as his killer. Unofficially, a whole list of conspiracy theories are still going round.

JFK was not buried in his hometown, his wife wanted to bury him at Arlington National Military Cemetery just outside Washington DC. Since the Civil War, more than 430,000 people have been buried here: soldiers and their families, politicians, astronauts and deserving citizens.

On the day of his funeral, Jackie lit the Eternal flame at the president's grave. And it still burns to this day. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was later buried next to him, as well as their stillborn daughter and a son who lived only a few days. 

Jackie herself became a celebrity. She married the Greek ship owner Aristotle Onassis and became a fashion icon. Everyone wanted to be Jackie. I remember my mommy when I was young in the so-called Jackie O. dresses and with the Jackie O. handbags J. JFK is not the only one of the Kennedy clan buried here. His father, his murdered brother Robert F. Kennedy and youngest brother Edward Kennedy also found their last resting place in his vicinity. The place where the Kennedys are buried is one of the top attractions at Arlington National Cemetary. But the most emotional place is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This monument has four vaults - one for the First and Second World War, Vietnam and Korea. Each vault contains the remains of an unknown soldier. The monument is guarded 24 hours a day, seven days a week by the 3rd US Infantry Regime. During the day at least once an hour there is a  'Changing of The Guard' in which the necessary ceremonial is observed. 

But there is also a Belgian monument  at the cemetery. The Battle of the Bulge was the last major offensive of the German army at the Western Front during the Second World War. The battle took place from December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945 and was won by the Allies. It was the biggest landbattle of the American army in their history. Not long after the lost battle the German Nazi regime capitulated. On 8 May 2006, then Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt unveiled a monument at Arlington as a gift from the Belgian people to the American veterans of the battle.

Georgetown existed before Washington DC and after the installation of the capital, the two lived together in harmony. In 1895 Georgetown was incorporated by DC and is now the oldest, most historic and most expensive district in the city. I am preparing for a walk of 5 km through the district with historic buildings, houses in federal style, old churches and cemeteries, parks and the busy main street. 

That main street is M Street. Here you will find everything your heart desires. Exquisite restaurants, exclusive boutiques, trendy bars and expensive furniture stores. Historic houses are a bit further away with, among others, the house where JFK and Jackie lived at the time of his election as  American president, but also the house in which Jackie lived in the year that followed his death. 

Also the Mt. Zion cemetery where black Americans were buried during the Civil War. Or the St. John's Episcopal Church, where Thomas Jefferson went to church. And finally there is the striking building of the University of Georgetown, the first Catholic university in the United States. The neo-Gothic building forms the background of a colorful neighborhood in Georgetown. 

And then it is time to reconnect with the Lost Symbol. I am on my way to that cryptic place that contains 'ten stones of Mount Sinai, one from heaven itself and one has the face of Luke's dark father' and to where Professor Langdon and Katherine Solomon are headed and where they hope to find a safe hiding place for now and answers to their many questions. That place turns out to be surprising, namely the Washington National Cathedral or officially the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. 

The cathedral is located in the northwest of DC and towers above the city. It is the fifth largest cathedral in the world with a length of no less than 158 m and a tower of 94.8 m high. It can accommodate more than 3,000 people. The construction was started in 1907 only to end in 1990. It is used among others for state funerals of prominent people including ex-presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.

But what the hell has Moses, Star Wars and the moon landing to do with all this? Or was that just a joke from Dan Brown? Not at all. Because the neo-Gothic building does indeed contain special elements. From the ground it is barely visible with the naked eye but one of the gargoyles on the northwestern tower has the shape of Darth Vader, the father of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. It is the result of a youth contest. Well, then you can of course expect everything J. A cathedral with a twist, I like that. But there's more. The stone from the sky is a reference to the 'Space Window', one of the stained glass windows of the cathedral. 

This moonstone was brought back by the crew of Apollo 11, who first landed on the moon. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the first landing on the moon, the stone was donated to the cathedral by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. The stone was first put into an airtight capsule to protect it and then inserted into the window. The window itself represents moons and planets, inspired by photographs taken during the Apollo 11 mission. In 2012 a memorial service took place in the cathedral following the death of Neil Armstrong, the man who  first set foot on the moon. Michael Collins, said following prayer:

‘Creator of the universe, your dominion extends through the immensity of space. Guide and guard those who seek to fathom its mysteries. Especially we thank you for your servant Neil Armstrong, who with courage and humility first set foot upon the moon. Following his example, save us from arrogance, we'll forget that our achievements are grounded in you’.
And then there are the 10 stones from Sinai, which were inserted in the floor in front of the high altar. They symbolize the 10 commandments that Moses received on Mount Sinai, but these too are hidden from my sight. Although I have in theory ample time for the Evening Service, it is preceded by singing which makes it impossible to see the altar. Two hours later the service is over. In the Protestant church the sermon continues and continious J. I look around for a blind, old man with a fragile voice: the dean of the cathedral and the man to whom our friends were sent by Building Master Bellamy. And he has answers. The pyramid that needs to be deciphered to find the Mysteries is indeed a geographical map, which will ultimately lead them to the Lost Symbol. He puts them on their way so that they can decipher the last secret codes.

The only question that remains today is how  is it at Dupont Circle? At the beginning of the 20th century this was the chic neighborhood, with beautiful mansions but they gradually fell into disrepair. In the mid-1970s, residents bought up the houses and the district was upgraded again. The Victorian houses were split into apartments or restored to single-family homes with lots of green in the front gardens. There arose bookshops, chic galleries, trendy restaurants and elegant bars.

The perfect place to end the day with a quiet evening walk and take a moment to reflect on the many highlightsof this day.