Spring Break and Trains

It has been a while since my last post. I guess I was feeling a little busy prior to leaving for spring break so I never got around to writing in the last couple of days. Busy is an understatement for the week of Spring Break itself. To start I would like to say, if you you have not tried train travel and the opportunity presents itself, then you should. We took the train from Florida to DC and DC to Florida -- It was awesome. We upgraded to a sleeper ( 2 of them). Being in a sleeper on a train makes you first class on a train. We got all the juice and milk and coffee we wanted and all of our meals were included in the cost of the upgrade. Meals being salad, drink, main course and desert. The only thing you had to pay for as a first class rider would be snacks from the lounge car. We had our own private bathroom and sink and on the way back even our own shower. The kids could move around and play and then lay flat in a bed to sleep during there normal sleep/nap times. It was wonderful. In addition to being more comfortable than a plane there was hassle free boarding ( no security issues ). It was also cheaper. If you factor in we got 2 nights sleep ( 2 nights of hotel room $$$ ), 2 less days rental car, 2 meals included ( dinner and breakfast ) both ways, and round trip travel for 5, we saved quite a bit and arrived at both ends of our journey rested, without jet lag, and ready to enjoy the day.

In addition to being overwhelmingly pleased with long distance train travel, I am also exceedingly happy with the METRO. I had several opportunities to drive around the area as well as taking the METRO. While driving was not impossible and it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be it was definitely not easy for someone with a limited map who was not familiar with the area. So my motto by the end of the week -- METRO.

We had a really good time seeing a few sights ( Library of Congress/Natl Archives/Museum of Natural History, and the Mall with all its monuments and memorials etc. . . ), and getting to hang out with Chris every night. We went to Chris' unit formal dinner. It was nice, but a little weird, since it was the first military function for either of us without a uniform. Then, we took the boys to see the new house. We are all so excited and have lots of plans for what to do with it.

We also got a chance to visit with nearly all of our friends in the area. It was so much fun--it was so great getting to catch up with friends and get a sneak peek at what it will be like to have friends who actually live near by for a change. Ezekiel was especially in need of meeting new friends since he is very nervous about the move ( he has never moved before ). He was happy for the chance to play with Kyle, James, and Luke ( and Luke's other brothers :D ). The last thing we did on the way out was enjoy the Cherry Blossom festival with all the flying kites etc. . . It was really cool to be in DC during this event that we have heard so much about in the past.