Trip Log – Day 268 – Washington DC to North Bethesda, MD

July 30, 2016 – Occasional rain, 90 degrees

Miles Today: 19

Miles to Date: 13,713

States to Date: 36

I spent the afternoon at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I thought I was prepared, but when the doors open from the dark cramped elevators they pack you into to rise to the fourth floor and I confronted the first image, my stomach wretched. The information folks suggest it takes ninety minutes to go through the permanent exhibit, but I spent much longer snaking through the consciously confusing spaces. By the tine I completed the labyrinth, I was disoriented and exhausted.

It is a good that this museum exists, that is addresses the shortcomings of the United States and the rest of the world in ignoring what was occurring in Germany, and that is still packed almost twenty years after it opened. It is important we remember.

Back in the daylight, after a storm that didn’t cool off anything, I couldn’t consider any other sightseeing. I let my mind spin as I pedaled to my hosts in Bethesda.

About paulefallon

Greetings reader. I am a writer, architect, cyclist and father from Cambridge, MA. My primary blog, theawkwardpose.com is an archive of all my published writing. The title refers to a sequence of three yoga positions that increase focus and build strength by shifting the body’s center of gravity. The objective is balance without stability. My writing addresses opposing tension in our world, and my attempt to find balance through understanding that opposition. During 2015-2106 I am cycling through all 48 mainland United States and asking the question "How will we live tomorrow?" That journey is chronicled in a dedicated blog, www.howwillwelivetomorrw.com, that includes personal writing related to my adventure as well as others' responses to my question. Thank you for visiting.

View all posts by paulefallon →