As springtime approaches, with the new, young President in the White House, and we’re celebrating the birthdays of two other Presidents, start planning an historic America trip with your grandkids. If you do it right, some tastes of patriotism can go a long way, teaching future citizens about the proud heritages of their country. It will be especially effective if it happens while you’re standing with them in places where the actual moments of history took place. Maybe the biggest thrill you’ll get will be to see everything again through the eyes of a child.

Now that all the fuss is over, the new First Family is in the White House, the crowds have gone home and city hotel prices are down to almost reasonable, plan now for a springtime trip to Washington. You’ll enjoy seeing all the famous sites in bloom, including the Mall and famed cherry trees. Also, to get your city journey started and decide where to go and when, it may be worth a tour of the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center below the the historic building.

When most senior travelers today were young, the Soviet Union was our enemy. It threatened to blow us all to hell with atomic bombs, unless of course, we wiped them out first. Those of us who did wartime duty in Korea and/or Vietnam in the 50s, 60s and 70s, were familiar with Russian weapons. They were used to shoot down our planes and kill our GIs. In those days of the Cold War, not many of us had any wish to visit Russia.

If you’re on your very first visit to Rome, and happen to have just a couple of days to spend there, here are some suggestions. Unless you hire a guide or taxi for part of your ventures, make sure you’re in good physical shape and wear sensible walking shoes. Try what we did in two days, although we wished we could have had 20 more.