The Capitol, Arlington Cemetery, Washington DC, 4

We saw so many things in Washington during our 2 weeks there  and still did not see all we would have liked to have seen.  Something for next time I guess.  We stayed in College Park and used the metro to get around Washington.  It was easy and convenient.  There is not much available parking in the city and one would probably end up walking just as far for a crazy parking fee.  Not to mention dealing with the traffic!

Planning ahead is essential.  We had our tours of the White House, Capitol and Library of Congress set months ahead of time and also had the Smartrip cards for the metro with some money on them ready to go.  Every building included a free body scan/metal detector and bag search;)  You get used to it quickly.

I will have one more post on Washington.

Air Force Memorial

Mike and I have now seen all
3 9/11 memorials

We visited this one the day
before the Las Vegas tragedy.
I remember privately hoping
we would not be having
to erect any more
memorials due to terrorist
activity....

please look on live for an explanation of this beautiful memorial

Arlington Cemetery is huge.  We spent a full afternoon there and walked a few miles easily:

markers as far as the eye can see....

The Tomb of the Unknowns is located on a hill overlooking Washington and right next to the Memorial Amphitheater.  It is a beautiful location and we were fortunate enough to watch a changing of the guard and a wreath laying ceremony.

Tomb of the Unknowns

hundreds of veterans visit this site every day

the Memorial Amphitheater

so many graves and memorial markers

Looking down on the Kennedy plot

We toured Fords Theater and the house where Lincoln died:

Fords Theater where Lincoln was shot....

and the house across
the street where
Lincoln died 9
hours later, April
15, 1865

the tiny pistol used by John Wilkes Booth

inside the theater

Lincolns booth on the right

 National American Art and Portraiture Museum:

contains portraits of
many prominent
Americans

a gallery of changing
photography exhibits,
currently showing a
moving exhibit of our
soldiers in
Afganistan, Iraq, etc.

modern American art as well as.......

thousands of painting and other artwork

Our Capitol tour was led by the
assistant to Congresswoman Kristi Noem
of our adopted state, South Dakota.

It was very personal with just 4 of us
in the group.  Well worth contacting
your representative ahead of time!

from inside the visitor center....

Library of Congress, Washington DC, 3

The Library of Congress is, without a doubt, one of the most beautifully ornate buildings in the US.  It is also a must see when in DC!

There are many stories to go along with the various artwork and designs, so sign up for a tour when you go!  Enjoy some pics from the Library of Congress.  We spent most of a day here, it is breathtaking:

statues on the stairs modeled after the statue of liberty

the carved babies wear accessories representing different types of trades

the actual working library cannot be accessed by tourists but you can get a library card for it if you live there

the library has approx 35 million books with 10,000 being added per day!

viewing balcony is enclosed to keep working area quiet

Thomas Jefferson sold his entire collection of 6500 books after a fire (the British) destroyed the original library
which was, at that time,  located in the capitol in 1814.  This special room contains what is left of that collection.

One of 3 copies in the world, the Gutenberg Bible is made from vellum, a very thin animal skin

this relief is rep of some of the types of people who made up the US at that time,
Native American on the left and African American on the right