The Temple Of The Union...

The whirlwind now takes me to the Lincoln Memorial - a temple dedicated to the preserver of the union that exists today as the United States, a union that Abraham Lincoln fought to cement...

The whole National Mall is so full of symbolism - at the far end lies the Capitol - a temple of democracy, in the middle lies a monument dedicated to creator of the union, George Washington and here I am across the reflecting pool at the memorial dedicated to preserver...

Built on mudflats, the foundation of the monument is rather deep - 20 metres deep supported by concrete columns...

The magnificence of the National Mall is indeed indescribable...

And I am frequently distracted by planes on their approach to DCA - this time an American Airlines Boeing 737...

It is indeed an imposing monument, dedicated to the greatness of Abe...

The sculpture clearly depicts the steely resolve that Abraham Lincoln had to prevent the Confederates from breaking away and bringing peace after the Civil War...

The clenched fist is symbolic of Lincoln's resolve...

Extracts from Lincoln's inauguration address and his famous speech at Gettysburg...

And I head back...

Another distraction - a Delta Airlines MD88...

And now I head towards the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial...

"Out Of The Mountain Of Despair, A Stone Of Hope"

I will spend no more than 10 minutes here at this monument dedicated to the leader of civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr.!

And an Air Canada Embraer E190 on its finals over the Potomac, making its way to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport...

The monument, designed by Lei Yixin, a Chinese architect from Changsha, stands out for its simplicity and elegance...

Powerful words from a great leader, the only non-president to have a memorial here in this historic city!

The main monument draws inspiration from King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech in which a few lines went as follows: "With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation"...

And King Jr.'s sculpture signifies the stone of hope emerging from the mountain of despair...

A view of the Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin...

You just can't miss the Washington Memorial from anywhere on the National Mall...

A cute little girl poses for a click...

Too many men fail at this test...

And here I am looking for Joe...

And I quite liked this bus...

"The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself"

This whirlwind is becoming more of a "check the box" rather than an immersive, soaking-in kind of an experience, but then being a business trip, I guess that's okay, and that gives me another reason to visit DC again, with Neeti...

From the National World War II Memorial, Joe drove me to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial a short distance away, which left me stunned by its simplicity and symbolism...

FDR, the 32nd President, as he was called presided over the United States during the turbulent years of the Second World War and the years of recovery from the Great Depression. I remember reading great things about him when I read about American history as a young kid...

The American bald eagle...

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" - great words from a great man, a President who was inaugurated an unprecedented four times...

Scenes from the Great Depression - a bread line...

In my view, the way those Asian tourists queued up was a bit insensitive to the sombreness of the sculpture...

Listening to FDR's address on the radio...

"I Hate War"

The beauty of monument is that is absolutely wheelchair accessible, a great but silent tribute to a president who himself was disabled...

FDR and his loyal pet, Fala...

A tribute to the First Lady, Eleanor, who served as the United States' delegate to the United States - this is only monument to a first lady in the District...

The Potomac flows gently as though paying its respect to FDR...

And now I head next door to the Martin Luther King Memorial...