The Mayor had some time while in the Capitol and took a stroll around the Mall. Half is still under renovation, circled by chain-link fencing. It looks like the finish is a long way off. On September 11, all the flags were at half mast, appropriately so. A new memorial was dedicated in Pennsylvania at the sight of the impact of one of the hijacked aircraft that did not arrive at its target-the Capitol Building itself. The story is the stuff of legend, but it's true- passengers on board took back the aircraft from the jihadists but could not stop the fatal dive.
We walked by the new Museum of African-American History which is close to completion. It makes another significant impression to passersby with its shroud of stylized, tiered bronze screens. The summer crowds were gone, and tour buses, food trucks, and T-shirt sellers were in short supply. One stop included the gift shop at the Air & Space Museum, just to check the latest tech toys. Amazing items here.
We also stopped for lunch at the National Gallery in the basement. They have a variety of food choices, something for everybody. After lunch, we sat around the east wing gallery, waiting for a film to begin-a classic: Two Women with Sophia Loren, 1960. She won an Oscar for her performance in the Italian production based on the novel by Alberto Moravia who based his story on real events. After Monte Cassino, French troops from Morocco flanked the German positions and took control of the countryside. They embarked on a campaign of destruction, murdering and raping innocent civilians of all ages, killings many who resisted or defended themselves and others. Many attribute the cause to the French General Juin who gave the Ok for this conduct. As many as 800 Italians were murdered and as many as 60,000 women and children suffered from the violence. The victims are called the Marocchinate. The director was Vittorio De Sica, one of the "new realism" school.
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