Weekend in Alexandria - Day 2

After heading to bed way past our bedtime last night, we were all slow to wake today.

I think I was up somewhere around 7:30am and just kinda hung out and scrolled my phone and waited for others to wake.

We had a very lazy morning, talking, catching up, drinking coffee, all sitting in bed together. It absolutely felt like college and I loved every second of it.

We had brunch reservations at 10, but ended up chatting way too much and missed that. We opted for some amazing bagels and Sil offered to go grab them while us ladies spent that time getting ready for the day.

We ate our bagels and then headed out for a day of adventure. Today we wanted to hit up the free museums. I mean, it's D.C. and there's SO much to see and do. 

We started with going over to the Archives so we could see the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence. We then went and walked over to see representation of many historical moments throughout time.

The women's rights section floored me. It's insane how recently we were deemed real people. 

The lobby area of her building os gorgeous

It's absolutely insane to see these signatures. Alexander Hamilton? After watching that on Broadway, it means SO much. 

Means SO much during these times. 

1943. A year before my dad was born. 

Metro Station

We experienced the metro and rode about 9 stops to get back to Alexandria and the King Street area. The Thai place we wanted to eat at was down this way. Mind you, it's POURING rain at this point. 

We finally made it to dinner and warmed up with the most amazing food! One thing we all knew about this trip - we wanted to eat the best food. We are all foodies and there is something very special about enjoying good food, good drink with good people. 

We finished a delicious meal and knew what was in front of us: the walk back. 

In the pouring rain.

The day before, it was sunny and gorgeous out. GORGEOUS. It was so cute walking around that area. Tonight? It was chilly and rainy. Thankfully it wasn't THAT freezing cold because FUCK if it was freezing and raining!? But it was just raining so it was bearable. 

We laughed our asses off the entire way, people. To the point where I was keeled over in the middle of the road, laughing, sobbing. I hadn't laughed like that in forever. FOREVER. It was so good for my soul.

And, because of our historic day, we decided we had to watch National Treasure. We stayed up, had a couple of drinks, ate snacks in bed. Surprisingly we all made it to the end of the movie.

Tomorrow is yet another day before we go back to our normal lives. 

Day 2 was a fantastic day. Hilarious and fantastic. 

Hawaii Vacation Day 9 (Wednesday) - Night Marchers Tour

Just like yesterday, we opted for another relaxing day. Our time is winding down and we've done all the activities that we wanted to do. 

Being the type A person that I am, I did most of the planning during this trip - other than the hotel/flights, which my mom planned. I knew my sister would pretty much go along with anything, but I also chose things I knew she'd enjoy. The turtle excursion was for her mainly. She's had this obsession with turtles for as long as I can remember, so it just made sense to try to experience them in real life. 

During one of our "chill" days, she texted me and said she had found this tour that sounded fun - the "Night Marchers" tour - a haunted night time activity. It sounded interesting but didn't start until 8pm, so we had the whole day to poke around town before heading to the meeting place. It got really good reviews! 

We spent the day at the Ala Moana Mall again, making sure to eat all the things and see all the things before our evening walking tour. 

Per Wikipedia: In Hawaiian mythology, Nightmarchers (huakaʻi pō) or Spirit Ranks (ʻoiʻo) are the deadly ghosts of ancient tribal Hawaiian warriors. The nightmarchers are the vanguard for a sacred king, chief or chiefess.

On the nights honoring the Hawaiian gods Kāne, Kū, Lono, or on the nights of Kanaloa they are said to come forth from their burial sites, or to rise up from the ocean, and to march in a large group to ancient Hawaiian battle sites or other sacred places. The legend says the night marchers are normal-size warriors, dressed for battle, carrying spears, clubs, and some are beating war drums and blowing tones from conch shells, to announce the advancing of their march. According to the myth, they are suspended in air; their feet do not touch water or ground as they traverse through the night, and they leave no evidence of their visitations.

It was a spooky activity that I knew my kids would enjoy, too. 

Sunset on the way there

This activity was definitely interesting. It was a walking tour and our tour guide spoke about the history and myth of the Night Marchers. He spoke of the paranormal and stories that have happened to people he knew. 

It was interesting, to hear a bit about the history and ancient beliefs of the locals. 

It lasted a little over and hour and it was a lovely evening to walk around Waikiki and hear about it all.

Tomorrow is another relaxing day before we head out on Friday.

What a vacation you guys. So many memories made during this trip.