Veteran's Memorial Plaza, Indianapolis

This morning, Roger and I drove to Indianapolis for the weekend. The journey takes about two hours - not that far, yet in all the years we've lived here, we've never been before. We checked into our hotel which was very conveniently situated, then set off to explore (on foot).We headed first for the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, a focal point of downtown. I took some pictures of the outside, then we got a bite to eat before taking the elevator to the observation deck. Next on our itinerary was the World War Memorial. Indianapolis is rather like a mini Washington D.C. - it is second only to D.C. in terms of acreage and number of monuments given over to veterans. This shot is taken from the steps of the memorial looking over Veteran's Memorial Plaza, showing the Obelisk fountain, and the Scottish Rite Cathedral at the left. Amongst the trees at the sides are further memorials to the veterans of Vietnam and Korea. Having explored this area, we moved on to explore Canal Walk, a beautifully restored and developed stretch of the historic Central Canal which once ran through the city. It is lined with bridges, fountains and waterfalls, as well as many of the city's main attractions - the USS Indianapolis Memorial, Congressional Medal of honor memorial, Indiana State Museum, the Eiteljorg museum of American Indians and Western Art, the Historical Center and the NCAA Hall of Champions. The canal eventually meets up with the White River, and we continued to walk along the River Promenade, which is lined with massive blocks of Indiana limestone, which was used in the construction of many Indianapolis buildings as well as several national landmarks, such as the Empire State building and Washington D.C.'s National Cathedral. By this time we were beginning to feel a bit tired, so we headed back to the hotel and had a swim in the indoor pool, before going out to eat at a great Greek restaurant.