I recently had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. as part of an extra long weekend. I didn’t have a lot of expectations for the city other than that it held significant meaning as the capital of the United States. Interestingly, as a Canadian, I grew up learning a great deal of US history and how it intertwined with ours and the rest of the world.

It was interesting to be able to see these buildings and monuments in real life. Knowing that they are not actually a part of my history, but yet I know so much about them.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

- Abraham Lincoln

“Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won. The skies no longer rain with death - the seas bear only commerce - men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. The entire world lies quietly at peace.”

- General Douglas MacArthur

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

- Martin Luthor King Jr.

Having finally had the opportunity to visit here, it was hard not to think of all of the historical references linked to this city. Though not all of it was said and done here, many of the words are echoed in the history that is kept alive in these places.

You may not be a supporter of US policy or anything like that, but it’s hard to not think of the history this country has had on the world, good and bad.

Happy travels.