Day 21 - 7/11

Here we are Philadelphia! The city of brotherly love was very pretty. The gardens and walkways were nice. We first visited the Philadelphia Art Museum. However, we didn't go inside because it was the steps of the building that was the tourist attraction. These were the steps which Rocky ran up. We too, raced up the steps and then as we thrust our fists in the air, shouted in jubilation. Even though we may have looked goofy doing it, being Rocky for a moment was fun.

We then toured the gardens outside where some Rodin sculptures are located. One of Rodin's more famous sculptures is The Thinker. He created this to show a man thinking deeply about Dante's Inferno, a famous piece of literature. It was interesting to see all of the curves and lines Rodin used to show the man's body.

After seeing The Thinker, we went to Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Park, which is the smallest National Park. Kosciuszko was a Polish man who had military experience. He traveled to America and helped the colonists in the Revolutionary War. He then, tried to help the people of Poland become free from their Russian oppressors. However, he was put under house arrest and remained in that state for some time. He eventually was able to negotiate his freedom and the freedom of 1200 captured Polish men. This little known man helped the colonists in a very big way. He is a reminder that many people played important roles in the Revolutionary War.  At most National Parks they have a Junior Ranger program which if you complete you get a badge.  You are sworn in as a Junior Ranger.   We've done that at most of the parks we have visited.

We then went to see the Philadelphia Mint. We saw the process of how they make coins. It was very interesting to see how they make the artwork we see on our money today. They are also careful that no defects are present on any coins. We got to see examples of a valid and invalid piece of money and then try to determine the false one. They also showcased some examples of money that has been used many years ago. Did you know that at one point Martha Washington was featured on one of the paper bills? The mint was very informative and engaging for all ages.

As a special treat, we went to 7-11 and got free Slurpees. Every July 11th, 7-11 gives away free Slurpees in 7.11 ounce cups. This year marks the 85th anniversary of 7-11 and 45th of the Slurpee. It was fun to slurp something sweet in the sweltering heat.