Currently listening to: "Shine" by Newsboys

Okay, trip summary:

Got on the bus around 9:30 Wednesday morning. We rode on the bus for a few hours, grabbed lunch, rode for a few more hours, and arrived at our first destination: the University of Virginia.

It's all too often that we see slides of UVA in lectures. Specifically, the lawn designed by Thomas Jefferson. In a nutshell, it's a field bound by arcades and a library. It was interesting to see the similarities between our campus and theirs. They're up to their ankles in construction.

After I bite to eat on their version of the strip, we all got back on the bus and headed for our hotel in Washington. We had to get to breakfast at 7 AM, so it wasn't a great sleep...

The next day, we went down to DC. Our first stop was the Finish embassy. It was a pretty nice building. They had a sauna, but we didn't get to enjoy its warmth. For those that don't realize, DC is cold. Really cold.

Next campus was a Catholic school. We got to see a really big church. Like, big. There was also the Pope John Paul II Culture Center. We then headed for Arlington Cemetary. We saw the changing of the guard and walked back to the bus right at sunset.

The next day was freezing. We walked from our hotel to Georgetown University. This was across a river. Picture the situation: a cold morning, seeing the campus in the distance, and then WHAM! You step on the bridge. And there's the wind. This isn't one of those cool breezes or gentle gusts. This was gale-force-cold. This was the kind of wind that not only could, but, if given the chance, would punch you in the face and run off. This wind wanted my hat. Like, it was trying to take my hat. Being the quick-thinker I am, I simply held on to it. The wind, not one to be bested, began stealing heat from my freshly-exposed hand. We did eventually make it across the bridge. Once there, we went up the "excorsist stairs." Having done research, I knew that they were near Georgetown. Apparently they were in the movie, though I never saw it. Can't confirm it, I'm afraid. I'll just take their word for it.

We walked around campus, looked at some stuff, I don't know. I was preoccupied with the lack of heat. Later, we went to the art museum. It was warm inside. Hoorah. Eventually, half of the students headed for the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. This was quite the walk after walking through miles of art galleries. I opted to rest on the steps for a bit, followed by a trip to the Air and Space Museum. That's always my favorite. Got to touch the moon rock.

We left Washington that night around five. Factor in a stop for dinner and a little traffic, and it adds up to me getting back to Knoxville at four AM. Yeah.

That pretty much sums it up. But you might want to check out the pictures.