We worked out the walking order for our museums tour today. They have promised lots of rain for today but it hasn't started yet. First port of call is to be The Spy Museum, it's just around the corner and a little bit along F street. We checked yesterday and it opens at 10am. Don' t know why but decided to look this morning - and it opens at 9 today. The Lonley Planet guide says it's very popular, and it is a Saturday, so we hotfoot it around there, arriving just prior to a coach load of rather boisterous children on an outing. We manage to get in before them as the supervisor rounds them up prior to entry. Once you buy your ticket entry is via a dark lift pulsing with red and blue lights and a lady sends you off with a salute and 'Good luck with your mission, agents". We have to choose a cover identity and memorise the details - we will be tested later! And the consequences could be dire if you blow your cover.
The other chose to be an Portugese business man, which later seriously aroused the suspicions of the border guards.
There were lots of interactive bits of equipment to play with, and later, a mission to memorise. There were also lots of other interesting exhibits including multiple ways of dropping off secret papers and signals, or hiding the same - some of which looked seriously painful. Also you could play at spotting enemy camps etc from satellite images, and picking out spies in disguise from video footage. They also had some ceiling ducting/ ventilation shafts that you could crawl through and spy on the people below. We both gave this a miss - confined spaces are not our favourite! The children loved it though, as you can imagine. The museum covered a fairly long historical period from Troy, Romans, Walsingham, Queen Mary, right up to fairly modern day. It showed some examples of how the Soviets and Americans (and the British) used to bug each other's embassies, as well as war time espionage (but then if you've been to Bletchley Park this is old hat). Of course there is a whole section on The James Bond movies as well.
Eric plays at being a Soviet spymaster.
Exiting the museum - oops - it's pouring with rain. Luckily we have an umbrella and our emergency ponchos (not the most elegant of couture, but serves a purpose). There is now a large queue waiting to go in, standing patiently in the rain, so we are glad we arrived early.
The next Museum on the list is The National Building Museum, a museum of architecture, design, urban planning and construction - it sounds so exciting I bet you wish you were going there.
They even have a long plastic bag for you to put your umbrella in so it doesn't drip all over their nice floor.
Although many of the Smithsonian Institution museums in DC are free, we have picked two museums today that we have to pay for. Turns out there is also a American Makers Craft Fair in this museum today as well - but that was an extra 15 USD each if we wanted to go in there to buy gifts, so we satisfied ourselves with just the exhibits, and a view of the hall from the balcony - pretty impressive pillars.
The displays were divided into several rooms, most of which you were not allowed to take photos in. One of the exhibits covered the design and making of the WWll Memorial near the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool, including both the friezes and the main wreath. The latter was too look as if it were floating or being held aloft by Bald Eagles. Although we were not allowed to photograph in here we had already photographed the wreath for real on one of our walks, without knowing the history behind the design.
There was also an exhibition of The Sixities (you know your old when you recognise half the exhibits).
Eric got a good groove on doing the Twist.
It was still raining when we exited this museum. A good couple of blocks further south we find our final stop, The Air and Space Museum. This is one of the free ones, and there's a queue out of the door (they are doing security checks on bags). Trying hard not to get too close to the men in front as they had no coats or umbrella and ours was on the way to dripping down their backs. Not too long before we are in, bags scanned (the security guards were standing at the side, although there was no-one sitting looking at what was going through?!). The place is 'jumping', very, very full. Nearly all the major attractions, such as Skylab, iMax theatre, planetarium and simulators have long queues waiting. A bit too many people for us, but we do take a tour around the levels.
A very large Soviet rocket.
Some of the space ships (particularly the silver one in the background) looked like 'Here's one I made earlier' of Blue Peter fame. How they survived in space we don't know.
And the site of the fake moon landing shots? Only joking!
Eric contemplates taking a ride to see if he can find Ben, as he always loved Montgolfier ballooning.
Still raining on our return to rest up tired feet.
