22 June 2009

What a weekend

So Saturday morning Jen and I went to Alexandria, where the Red Cross was having a fundraising festival. Alexandria is a fun, kind of yuppy, historic town in Virginia. We got there and it was pouring, so we stopped in a couple shops on the way to the waterfront. Cheyenne then met us on the way and buy the time we got to the waterfront, it was sunny and hot. We walked around the pier, saw the tall ships, and looked at all the shops. The best thing, I thought, was these parrots they had (for no particular reason that I could discern) but they ate french fries, which I thought was awesome. After that we stopped in "the Torpedo factory", which is building that used to be, you guessed it, a torpedo factory, but now is an artist colony of sorts. it houses three full floors of artist studios and you can just wander around and look at all the art. It was really cool. We made our way back home, by way of the nine west store, and got back around 5pm, famished. After dinner we all my roommates and my roommate Caitlin's boyfriend, who is also interning in DC with the state department, Carlos, walked over to the French embassy. They were having a Solstice party with all sorts of musicians spread all through the big white, modern building and all across the gardens. They also had grilled sausages in baguette and wine. There were TONS of people there and it was really fun. They had a really good acapella group, fire throwers/dancers, these crique du solei type performers, and lots of other bands. They had fun dancing at night too. Then today I woke up early, went for a long run, and went with the roommates to the National Basilica, which was beautiful. The ceremony was very formal, but it was nice to just sit and think about all there is in life to be grateful for, like dads. Happy Fathers Day Dad! I also think religion is amazing in the ability it has to bring people together, from all backgrounds. There were very different people at the service we attended, and they offered probably a dozen other masses that day in all sorts of languages. After the service, we took a tour and got to see and hear about all the unique things about the church. It is a sacred site because it is the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and it has 19 atriums, each dedicated by a different country. It also has the most amazing tile work and stained glass. Dad told me that the stained glass artist, when interviewed, said he didn't believe in god but he agreed to do the work because he believed in the goodness of people, which I think is alot of what religion represents and celebrates.
We stopped at Five Guys, a popular burger joint in DC, on the way home. It became really popular recently because Obama and his wife go there. It was delicious, and now I've just been hanging out at home. It's been nice to relax for a few hours, before the whirlwind starts again, a little calm before the storm.






3 comments:

Amy Spies said...

Hey Sarah,
Kurt was telling us some of your exploits and then showed us your blog. What fun to get your take on the adventure.
Best wishes with the challenges,
Amy

Dave Chase said...

"grilled sausages in baguette and wine"

I don't care what people say, the French know how to party :)

Cheryl said...

I love the parrots who eat french fries. And, that later you went to the French embassy. They must be related somehow. I will eat a french fry today and think of you.