US Holocaust Memorial Museum

On the first day of our Washington DC Field Trip, our destination after our Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception tour was the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.  I am glad we went to the Basilica first because it  put our mind and body a little bit of relaxation before going to the Holocaust Memorial Museum.  The atrocities of the holocaust was the main focus of this tour to have a deep understanding of what has happened to all those people who died.  It was a moving and absorbing lesson that would break your heart thinking of the horrible  death they eventually suffered.

These shoes really gave me goosebumps as I looked at them.  

Just reading all the information gave me that overwhelming feeling of sadness and grief.

Here's the timeline of the German expansion.

There are some old pictures that were displayed on the wall.

I can't remember what this.  Some of the  display in the museum either has  writing information or there is an audio that they play to describe what you're seeing.

I remember watching the movie about Anne Frank and I thought that was scary but touring this place really put me into deep appreciation of how free we live compared to the scary situation they all had back then.

This illustration of the gassing was the worst for me.  

The model of an Aushwitz gas chamber and crematorium illustrated above.  This four gas chambers and crematorium was constructed at Auschwitz-Birkenau after 1942 represent Nazi mass murder in its most industrialized form.  Each of the four facilities could kill and incinerate an average of 1000 victims per day.  About 1 million Jews and thousands of non-Jewish victims were killed in the gas chambers.  This model of crematorium created by Polish artist Mieczslaw Stobierski, illustrates the steps of the murder process.

I can't remember the details of this display but I think it has something to do with the tagging or coding.

It was an experience I will never forget.  I know it was just a display but thinking about what those people have gone through really broke me inside especially the children.

Staying Fit While Travelling

Getting out and about, travelling, and seeing the world can be extremely motivating and uplifting — and can add a huge amount of excitement, adventure, and “spice” to life as a whole.

But for the fitness enthusiasts of the world, travel can often seem like something of a mixed blessing. After all, what if you’ve been lifting consistently in the gym day after day for a prolonged period of time, have been taking workout-supporting STEEL supplements, and are now worried that your gains will evaporate into the blue while you’re on your vacation?

Some people opt to try and find local gyms in their destination that they can visit in order to keep their pump on, but for many others this won’t be either a practical or desirable solution.

Here are some good suggestions for staying fit while travelling.

Explore the world of calisthenic training

There’s a vast world of calisthenic and bodyweight training out there that the average heavy-lifter knows little if anything about. But if you doubt that bodyweight training alone can yield gains, just take a look at Olympic Men’s Gymnastics champions.

Working on a calisthenic program that helps you to get towards a one armed pushup, or that boosts your flexibility and the strength of your tendons and supporting tissues, can be massively rewarding.

Best of all, in most cases you won’t need any equipment in order to follow these kinds of routines — except, potentially, a pull-up bar (but a door frame or tree branch might work too).

Use the opportunity to try some unconventional training approaches, such as isometrics, to see how they impact your gym lifts when you get back home

There are a lot of different training methodologies that were once popular but which fell out of mainstream fashion, that could be worth trying out — especially when you’re travelling and don’t have access to your usual workout equipment.

Isometrics exercises that involve pressing against, or pulling, an immovable object have the potential to boost muscle recruitment and to strengthen connective tissues. Bruce Lee famously did isometric exercises and advocated for them.

Or how about the old-school bodybuilder posing routine staple known as the “Stomach Vacuum” which requires exceptional ab strength?

Or how about even doing some yoga or Pilates exercises?

Trying unconventional training methodologies while travelling, and seeing how they affect your workouts when you get home, can be very eye-opening and fun.

Take full advantage of the opportunity to do a lot of walking each day

Walking is a great form of low-medium intensity cardiovascular exercise, and it has the added effect of burning a significant number of calories, too.

Many travel destinations, and many forms of travel — such as backpacking — naturally include lots of walking, or at least have the potential to include lots of walking.

Taking full advantage of the opportunity to walk more can help you to feel good, to boost your cardiovascular health and fitness, and to experience body composition benefits as well.

American and Natural History Museum in DC

Four years ago, my daughter's class went on an educational field trip in Washington DC.  This is the activity that my son missed out on due to Covid.  His class never get to enjoy this because of pandemic.  

Anyway, on the second day of our trip, part of the  itinerary was Smithsonian where students had the choice to go on three different places.  We went to the National Air and Space Museum first then to American and Natural History Museum afterwards.    I'll make a separate post on the other two. 

I love going and visiting arts center and museums.  There's so much you can learn from in those places.

Old stuff in museums amazes me.  You get to see things that don't exist or use anymore.

Like this one.

Or this one.

You can tell the youngsters are tired and were just sitting around waiting for it to be over.  At this point, nothing excites them anymore lol.

This trophy was awarded to Gertrude Ederle in 1926.  She's an olympic medalist and the first woman to swim the English channel.  In 1920, women not only gained the right to vote but they also get to compete in amateur and professional sports.

This cello is super old, made in 1915 by Luigi Rovatti in Argentina.

Renowned Argentinian American cellist and conductor Ennio BOlognini (19-93-1979) accumulated autographs of well-known musician and other entertainers on his cello.

I love this star spangled banner.

Touring the museum is definitely  super informative for me.