Our very first stop was the U.S. Capitol, of course. It was a lovely day and the building was beautiful.
We took a tour of the inside. This is the crypt. I don't think it's really used as one. Interesting fact: the center of the crypt is the very center of the city. There were also statues around the outside, but our tour guide didn't take us around to look at them.
The old Supreme Court Chamber.
The rotunda was incredible. I could have spent an hour or more in there looking at all the details.
This painting looks like sculpture. It goes clear around the circumference of the rotunda and tells the history of America, beginning with Christopher Columbus and ending with the Wright Brothers' first flight.
These figures on the top ceiling appear lifesize from below. I can't remember how big they really are. George Washington is seated in the center.
The large paintings around the lower part of the room were all really beautiful as well. We especially liked the one of George Washington handing his power over to the people, refusing to be king.
This is the room (can't remember if it has a name) where the early leaders of the country had their desks. Now it is used for state dinners and such.
The other side of the Capitol.
View from the Capitol down The Mall with the Washington Monument in the distance.
Flags outside of Union Station.
We also went inside the Library of Congress, but we couldn't take pictures of the most interesting things. There was an exhibit with Thomas Jefferson's library which was huge and neat. He had books on every subject. There was also an exhibit with different maps and globes through the ages. I wish we could have taken pictures in the main research library, but we could only peek in. Around the upper circumference of the room were statues of leaders in every different aspect of study: Shakespeare, Plato, Socrates, Newton, etc. It was a very ornate building.
This is Ford's Theater, where President Lincoln was assassinated, and the house across the street where he was taken afterwards. As you can see, there were hoards of students there so we didn't even think about going inside.
We went inside the National Archives, where we saw the "Declaration of Independence" and "The Constitution." It was neat to see the actual documents; they were so aged and faded. Of course, we couldn't help but think about the movie "National Treasure." :)
Daniel and I saw the White House separately. We didn't go on a tour. Just looked.
Daniel also went to the Washington National Cathedral on his own. It was closed to visitors because of a recent earthquake, so he was disappointed that he couldn't go inside. I can't report anything on it except that it looks a lot like Oxford to me.
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