History was made, and we were there to experience it. Those words sum up the Saltus 2009 Trip to Washington DC, a trip full of good memories, extraordinary experiences and new friends.

Our journey began very early at 5.45 on Saturday the 17th. Two long plane rides later we arrived in Washington and boarded our waiting bus, which we shared with Torrance High School from California. From there we were off to the old towns of Williamsburg and Jamestown, both dating back to the age of our own St. George's. That night we were led on a Ghost Tour through the haunted campus of the College of William and Mary, the second oldest college in the Americas.

The following day we went visited the Historic Jamestowne, a modern day recreation of what life would have been like back in the 1700s had we been alive, and we also toured Colonial Williamsburg during the day. We visited such places as the glass blowers, the armoury building, and the church where influential Americans like George Washington, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson worshiped and which holds the baptismal fount of Pocahontas. That evening we made the journey back to Washington.

The following day was also full of an array of activities such as the visit to Mt. Vernon (George Washington's house) and numerous monuments of Washington DC. Monuments in Washington included the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, a stop at the White House, and a visit to the Lincoln Memorial.

But alas it remains true that as exciting as the first 3 days of our trip were, they pale in comparison to the events of the 20th - Inauguration Day. We were up before dawn, and on the bus as the sun rose. It was during this time that we fully witnessed just how many people were going to be at the event. What had been a 10 minute drive the previous day turned into an hour long toil on the roads. During our walk to the spot where we would eventually watch the Inauguration we experienced police escorts carrying senators, leaders and other dignitaries whizzing past us. We eventually made camp at the foot of the steps of the Washington Monument, and while we couldn't see the actual events themselves, we did have a JumboTron right in front of us.

We were able to witness first hand the crowd's reaction to the swearing in of President Barack Obama, a day that will go down in history. We can say that we were there, we witnessed it, we saw it first hand an experience that we will forever remember.